What is Smart Devic eL ink – This S e c tio n – 1

What is
SmartDeviceLink?
SmartDeviceLink.com

What is Smart Devic eL ink – This S e c tio n – 1

 What is Smart Devic eLink? – C o nte nts – 2

INT RODU CT I ON _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3

A b s t r a c t i o n L a y e r D i a g r a m ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3

D a t a F l o w c h a r t ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3

LOW-L EV EL AP Is __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4
Tr a n s p o r t s ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4

P r o t o c o l A P I ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4

R P C A P I ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4

SDL CONC EP T S _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5

D i s p l a y i n g I n f o r m a t i o n __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 -7

Vo i c e C o n t r o l ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7

D r i v e r D i s t r a c t i o n _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9

H M I L e v e l s _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 - 9

Ve h i c l e D a t a _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9

R e m o t e C o n t r o l ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9

INT E GRAT I N G WI T H I V I SYS TE MS ______________________________________________________ 1 0

C o r e ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 0

H M I ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 1

MO BIL E AP P LI CAT I ON S _______________________________________________________________________________ 1 2

WEB CO M P ONENT S __________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 2

P o l i c i e s _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 2

P o l i c y S e r v e r s ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 3

S H A I D S e r v e r _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 3

DE FINITI ONS _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 4

What is Smart Devic eLink? – C o nte nts – 2

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Introduction
SmartDeviceLink (SDL) is a system for application developers to present their apps on an In-

Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system. It works by providing a custom protocol and RPC layer on top

of an existing transport, and then provides Android, iOS, and embedded C++ libraries to abstract

those layers. Most apps work by telling the system what data they want to display, and the head

unit understands how to display the data in a manner that fits with the rest of its IVI user interface

(UI). This system allows developers to design their SDL app one time while allowing OEMs the

freedom to fit the app within their existing UI.

Abstraction Layer Diagram Data Flowchart

HMI / App Integration

IVI System HMI
Core / Mobile Libraries

SDL RPCs

SDL Protocol SDL HMI API

Transport SDL Core

RPC Protocol
API API

Transport

RPC Protocol
API API

SDL Mobile Library

SDL Mobile API

Smartphone Application

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Low-Level APIs
TRANSPORTS
SmartDeviceLink is transport agnostic. This means that the transport does not depend on any

particular form of data channel, however, in practice, hardware restrictions limit the type of

transports that can be used.

On Android, Bluetooth and USB may be the primary transports, while on iOS, we must use iAP and

communicate only with MFi certified hardware. iAP also only supports Bluetooth and USB. We

strongly recommend iAP 2 and supporting multi-session. See iOS and Communication with iOS

for more detail on how iOS and Core communicate over iAP.

A future release of Core will also support Wi-Fi as a production transport (it is currently supported

for debugging only).

PROTOCOL API
The protocol API and spec are the layers of communication sitting directly on top of the

transport. This layer is handled by the Core library.

Encryption
In some cases, it may be desirable for a service to carry encrypted data. SDL can support

encryption using TLS / DTLS, however, the OEM must provide their own mobile encryption libraries

conforming to the type understood by SDL.

RPC API
The RPC API and spec is an API based on JSON RPC. This layer sits directly on top of the protocol

layer and runs on the RPC service of the protocol.

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SDL Concepts
DISPLAYING INFORMATION
SDL has APIs for displaying information in a predictable yet flexible way.

For a discussion of templated and projection applications, see HMI. This section will focus on

templated applications.

Additional best practices guides for both iOS and Android

are available.

Language Support
SDL has APIs that allow developers to alter their application data based on the head unit's

language. Once the app is connected to the head unit, the application can retrieve the head

unit's current language. If the app supports the head unit language, the app can then alter its

registration to update the app's name and

other strings.

Selecting a Template
SDL templates define what text, buttons, and images can be displayed, though there is some

flexibility among implementations of a template on different IVI systems. Each template is

designed to show information in a certain configuration. For example, the graphic-with-text

template shows a large graphic with multiple text fields, while the tiles-only template only shows

multiple soft buttons. The app is assigned a default template on cofiguration. If the IVI system

supports multiple templates, apps can switch between the different templates during a session. A

list of templates is available when the app connects to the head unit.

Screen Text & Images

Applications may update screen text and images in a generic way. The current template will

display the information in specific ways. Most templates can display some amount of text,

exposed in the API as text field lines to which strings may be set, and images, exposed as a

primary and secondary image. Additional images may be uploaded and referenced in areas such

as menu items and soft buttons.

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Menus
The menu system is available on all templates, generally via a menu button provided by the

IVI system. Once selected, any menu items defined by the app will appear in a list and may be

selected. Only two levels of menus are currently possible. Due to driver distraction rules, the

second level of the menu is disabled when the car is moving.

Choice Sets

A choice set is a list of options that can be presented using text, voice, or both. If the choice set is presented

using text, a list of options will appear on the screen that the user can scroll and select. If presented using voice,

the voice-recognition system will prompt the user to make a selection from the choice set using their voice. The

user may also be able to text or voice search.

Alerts
Alerts are modal screens which may have text and buttons which alert the user of some

information or ask the user for some selection. Some apps may be granted permission to present

alerts from the background. An example of an alert may be a weather app presenting that rain is

about to begin.

Buttons
Two kinds of buttons are supported by SDL, soft buttons and hard buttons. Soft buttons are

dynamic, on-screen buttons which may be defined and shown to the user by the app. Hard

buttons are static on-screen or hard-key buttons which are defined by SDL and the OEM and

subscribed to by the app.

Soft Buttons

Soft buttons can be placed by the developer on many templates allowing the developer to place custom

buttons with text and images to perform custom actions, whether internal to the application, such as

activating a shuffle mode, or an SDL UI action, such as activating the car's microphone.

Hard Buttons

Hard buttons can be subscribed to by apps to receive their triggered events. For example, developers can ask

to be notified when the play, seek, or tune up and down buttons are pressed. Apps can then perform a custom

action they define.

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Hashes & Resumption

Apps can opt-in to being resumed by the head unit. When changes are made, such as a new

choice set is uploaded, Core will pass back a hash to the app. If the app passes this hash back to

Core upon connection and it is accepted, all previously uploaded data will be available to the app,

such as its menu and choice sets, without the app having to re-send the data.

VOICE CONTROL
In order to assist drivers in interacting with an SDL-enabled application, SDL has robust voice

APIs to allow the driver to interact with the app using voice interactions. SDL does not provide

voice-recognition services; these must be provided by the IVI system and exposed to SDL over the

HMI_API.

Voice Strings
The developer can send strings designed to be globally recognized or attached to various SDL

elements which are designed to be recognized when spoken by the user. For example, a choice

item can have a voice string attached, allowing the user to speak the choice and have that

choice selected.

Language Support
The head unit's current language often has an effect on how words spoken by the user are

recognized; therefore, it is important for applications to support various languages when designing

their voice strings or they won't be recognized even if spoken correctly.

Microphone Access
In addition to allowing the SDL system to recognize strings passed by the developer, SDL provides

an API for raw microphone access. This can be used by, for example, voice assistant applications

or any other application that has its own on-device or cloud based voice recognition system.

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DRIVER DISTRACTION
Preventing driver distraction and providing a safe user interface is very important to SDL.

Templates are a solution to the problem of forcing developers to create safe UIs that are certified

for every OEM. Because OEMs design their UI in the context of common templates, apps don't have

to worry about that.

Additional restrictions may be enforced upon apps when the IVI system believes the driver is

distracted. For example, the system may request a lock screen to be placed over the app's UI, or it

may disable keyboard input.

HMI LEVELS
SDL has four HMI levels: NONE, BACKGROUND, LIMITED, and FULL.

NONE
The NONE state is the natural state of an application after connection. It provides the app very few

permissions; an app in NONE is usually highly restricted on the number of RPCs or uploads it may

send, and it usually may not perform any sort of UI operations.

BACKGROUND
The BACKGROUND state occurs after an app has been started by the user, such as by selecting the

app in the IVI UI, and then the user has switched away from it. This state usually allows uploads,

RPCs, and some UI operations such as Alerts if provided certain permissions.

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LIMITED
Certain types of apps are permitted to enter the LIMITED state. MEDIA apps, for example will

enter the LIMITED state if the app is the currently active media app and the app would enter the

background mode. A NAVIGATION app may do the same if it is the current navigation app and

would enter the background.

FULL
The SDL connected app that has the user's focus on screen is in a FULL state. At most, only

one SDL connected app will have FULL at any one time. At this level of focus, the app has

full UI permissions, though may still be restricted in terms of accessing vehicle data or other

information-related permissions.

VEHICLE DATA
Vehicle data may be exposed by the IVI system from the car. For example, a developer may be

able to retrieve headlamp status or fuel level. Each data set's availability will be dependent on the

integration of the IVI system as well as permissions granted to that app.

REMOTE CONTROL
Remote control is a feature allowing an app to control external (non-SDL) modules of the IVI

system, such as vehicle climate controls or AM/FM system. Available modules will be dependent

on the integration of the IVI system as well as permissions granted to that app.

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Integrating with IVI Systems

IVI systems are the audio / visual information and entertainment systems within vehicles. SDL

integrates with these systems to allow the user's smartphone applications to display information

and provide content.

CORE
Core is the component of SDL integrated by OEMs as middleware into their IVI system and HMI

and handles the protocol and RPC layers automatically. Core communicates with the mobile

application over the transport layer and with the HMI over another RPC API called the HMI_API.

Communication with iOS

In order to communicate with iOS, Core must have a channel of communication. Apple regulates

this channel through their MFi licensing program and iAP protocol. To communicate with an iOS

app, both must know the same protocol string. Every iOS app should already use both the channel

switching and multi-session schemes.

Channel Switching Scheme

The channel switching scheme is the older, less reliable method of connecting an IVI system's Core to iOS

applications. It relies on connecting over a control session, receiving data from the control session about what

data session to connect to, and then connecting over that channel. It requires workarounds such as timers

based on a hash of the app time and retries to ensure each app gets access to that control session and can

connect over a separate data session. This scheme becomes less reliable as more apps connect.

Multi-Session Scheme

The newer connection scheme, relying upon iAP 2, is a multi-session scheme which utilizes a single protocol

string and session to connect multiple apps over that single session.

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HMI
The HMI is a non-SDL component, essentially the part of the IVI system which controls displaying

content to the user. The HMI is responsible for communicating with Core over the HMI_API and

displaying information and content sent from the mobile application to Core.

Templated Applications
All but projection applications will be displayed using a template. Many template layouts are

standardized and should be provided through the HMI in order to provide developers with options

in building their SDL integrations and allowing them to use the same code across SDL-enabled

|HMI systems.

Projection Applications
In addition to templated applications, a few applications need the ability to "project" their own

UI to the HMI via video streaming. Virtually all of these are navigation applications which require

video streaming to project their map to the HMI system. Additional projection applications may be

created, but it is very strongly recommended that this is limited only to OEM-created applications

as there are large downsides to video-streaming based applications.

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Mobile Applications
Mobile applications are integrated with SDL through the iOS and Android mobile libraries. Apps

make the SDL library a dependency of their own app and use its APIs to update the templated UI

with their own information and content. The mobile libraries take care of all connection, protocol,

and RPC layers, providing the developer with abstracted APIs with which to build their applications.

For additional information on using the iOS library, see the iOS guides. For additional information

on using the Android library, see the Android guides.

Web Components
A few web components are essential to SmartDeviceLink. An OEM must host or integrate

with these web services to enable them to have the content they desire on their system and

provide permissions for applications to access various vehicle data and other potentially

sensitive features.

POLICIES
Policies are JSON documents describing rules and configurations enforced by SDL Core defining

how the system can and will behave. For example, a policy could prohibit the use of an application

in a specific type of vehicle. In general, policies are configured by an OEM and stored in their Policy

Server. Once configured, all policies for a specific vehicle can be requested and downloaded to the

head unit where they can be enforced by SDL Core.

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POLICY SERVERS
An SDL Policy Server's main purpose is to curate policy tables composed of rules and permissions

defined by an OEM. Each vehicle will download its policy table and use it to govern SDL behaviors.

Additionally, Policy Servers can be used to gather usage information and provide additional

functionality defined by the OEM. Check out the SDL Policy Server guides for more detail.

SHAID SERVER
SHAID is the Shared Application Information Database server. This is a centralized service run by

the SmartDeviceLink Consortium (SDLC) which is designed to keep information about applications

integrating SDL synchronized across the SDL ecosystem. SHAID is integrated with the OEM Policy

Server to receive real-time updates when SDL application developers integrate a new app or

update an existing app. This ensures that OEMs keep their policy tables up to date with the latest

information. App developers update their applications via the SDL Developer Portal. Check out the
SHAID API for more details.

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Definitions
SmartDeviceLink

The entire API system which allows a smartphone application to present its data on

the head unit system.

IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) system, Head Unit,

In-Car Entertainment (ICE) system

"In-car entertainment (ICE), or in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), is a collection of

hardware and software in automobiles that provides audio or video entertainment.

In car entertainment originated with car audio systems that consisted of radios and

cassette or CD players, and now includes automotive navigation systems, video

players, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, Carputers, in-car internet, and WiFi. Once

controlled by simple dashboards knobs and dials, ICE systems can include steering

wheel audio controls and handsfree voice control." via Wikipedia

OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer - In this context, a company which puts cars on the

road, such as Ford, Toyota, or Suzuki.

iAP

iPod Accessory Protocol; the protocol sitting on top of the raw data transport layer for

MFi devices.

MFi

Made For iPhone; the licensing program for non-Apple made hardware to

communicate with Apple hardware – such as iPhones, iPods, iPads, etc.

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Developer

The smartphone application developer.

App

A smartphone application connected to an IVI system via SDL.

User

The driver of the car and owner of the smartphone connected via SDL.

HMI (Human Machine Interface)

Generally, the visual user interface displaying information and receiving input from

the user.

In SDL, the component of the head unit integrating with Core and displaying

information coming from the SDL mobile application to the user.

Template

In SDL, a layout on which information may be displayed. SDL standardizes templates

as being capable of containing certain information and having a certain general

layout, however, the details of the layout may be decided upon by the OEM, allowing

their SDL HMI to fit with the rest of their IVI interface.

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SDLC

The SmartDeviceLink Consortium, a non-profit organization owned and funded by

a collective of OEMs, Suppliers, App Developers, and other parties interested in

integrating with SDL.

Services

An SDL service is a protocol-level concept. Data packets are given a service type

which defines the "type" of packet, such as RPC, bulk, or video data.

Come chat with our community on Slack.

SmartDeviceLink.com

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