Method and apparatus for remotely communicating vehicle information to the cloud

• US 10,055,901 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Yixiang, Johnson, Drew S., Durrer, Andrew, Garner, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kerrigan, Michael V
• Application Number:
  US15/056,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the communication of vehicle data, diagnostics and related information with a network remote from the vehicle, and more particularly to communications and storage of vehicle data in the cloud. In one or more preferred embodiments, vehicle information is securely gathered from a vehicle, processed in accordance with instructions and a profile set remotely, and stored at a remote data store, where remote access to such information can be accommodated through applications, smartphones and other remote devices.

Claims

1. A method for communicating and storing vehicle information from a vehicle across a remote network to one or more remote devices utilizing at least one communication protocol of the vehicle, comprising the steps of:

receiving vehicle data from the vehicle through a device protocol system in communication arrangement with the vehicle;

providing a data sharing profile which includes identifiable attributes, authentication and authorization rules and duration, to an entity in control of the vehicle to allow for control of how data of the vehicle will be shared;

transmitting at least one message having a device ID, and the received vehicle data, from the device protocol system across the remote network to a service broker system capable of mapping the device ID and an endpoint ID, wherein the device ID is decoupled from the endpoint ID providing service portability and mobility; and

decoding and storing the vehicle information of the at least one transmitted message on the remote network at a data store in relation to the transmitted at least one message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received vehicle data from the vehicle is one or more of diagnostic, operational, performance, proprietary, service, and parameter data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle further comprises an electronic vehicle communication system in communication arrangement with the device protocol system using one or more defined protocols.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the device protocol system and the vehicle communication system are in communication via one or more defined protocols.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the service broker system is in communication with one or more of a vehicle manufacturer, vehicle owner, diagnostic system, mobile application and device protocol system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more defined protocols include at least one standard protocol defined as:

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1850 pulse-width modulation (PWM) standard protocol;

SAE J1850 variable pulse width (VPW);

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9141-2;

ISO 14230 Keyword Protocol 2000 (KWP2000); and

, ISO 15765 Controller Area Network (CAN) bus.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle further comprises a vehicle communication system in communication arrangement with the device protocol system using one or more defined protocols.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is an automobile, mobile transport equipment, industrial equipment, medical device, or device having a communication system, ECU, or similar, to provide data across a communication protocol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the endpoint ID is one or more of a mobile identification network (MIN) identifier, an Internet Protocol (IP)v4 address, an IPv6 address, a device IP address, an address of a user, an address of a vehicle manufacturer, and an address of a storage device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the service broker system is on the remote network and the remote network is a cloud.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitted at least one message further includes is one or more of proprietary, codec, service, command, and parameter data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data store is located at an address on the remote network associated with the endpoint ID and the network ID.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of decoding further includes encoding whereby the communication between the device protocol system and the service broker system is bilateral.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the service broker system is capable of decoding the transmitted at least one message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of communicating with one or more of a vehicle manufacturer, codec data store, or proprietary command data store to obtain one or more associated formats, commands, codes, codecs, and proprietary translations for decoding or encoding.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the message further comprises a header having one or more of the endpoint ID, the device ID, and a session ID for identifying a communication session of the message.

17. The method of claim 7, the endpoint ID is a destination identifier associated with a network, user, manufacturer, mobile application, device, or other addressable node of the remote network;

and the device ID is an originating source identifier of the vehicle data.

18. An apparatus for communicating and storing vehicle information from a vehicle across a remote network to one or more remote devices utilizing at least one communication protocol of the vehicle, comprising:

a device protocol system capable of communications with a remote service broker system and a vehicle,

the device protocol system having;

a protocol adapter for communicating with a vehicle communication system of the vehicle across one or more defined protocols and receiving vehicle data, and a device controller for communicating received vehicle data and one or more network storage addresses with a service broker system across the remote network,

the service broker system having;

a broker network module for receiving and sending one or more messages with one or more of the device controller, a device maker, a vehicle manufacturer, a vehicle assignee, a data store, and a mobile application;

a decoder for decoding received vehicle data from the device protocol system; and

an access control module for providing a data use profile rule set for the vehicle data;

an access control module, wherein the access control module includes a data sharing profile which includes identifiable attributes, authentication and authorization rules and duration, to an entity in control of the vehicle to allow for control of how data of the vehicle will be shared; and

a communications module for transmitting at least one message having a device ID, and the received vehicle data, from the device protocol system across the remote network to a service broker system capable of mapping the device ID to a network ID;

wherein the device ID is decoupled from the network ID providing service portability and mobility, and whereby the service broker system stores decoded vehicle data to the one or more remote devices across the remote network in relation to the one or more remote network storage addresses.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the received vehicle data is one or more of diagnostic, operational, performance, proprietary, service, and parameter data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the received vehicle data is output data compliant with OBD II.