Autonomous ready vehicle

• US 10,160,436 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Inventors: Malone, Amber P., Koenig, David J., Blair, Kevin P., Weldon, Patrick D., Sytsma, Cole A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US14/968,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0091 of control inputs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0094 of control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/2265 involving protocol translation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/227 Handing over between remote control and on-board control; Handing over between remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2105/22 of humans
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2107/13 Spaces reserved for vehicle traffic, e.g. roads, regulated airspace or regulated waters
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2109/10 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling

Abstract

A system and method for interfacing an autonomous or remote control drive-by-wire controller with a vehicle'"'"'s control modules. Vehicle functions including steering, braking, starting, etc. are controllable by wire via a control network. A CAN architecture is used as an interface between the remote/autonomous controller and the vehicle'"'"'s control modules. A CAN module interface provides communication between a vehicle control system and a supervisory, remote, autonomous, or drive-by-wire controller. The interface permits the supervisory control to control vehicle operation within pre-determined bounds and using control algorithms.

Claims

1. A vehicle gateway module installed on a vehicle including:

an autonomous controller device interface operable to couple with an autonomous controller module device located external to the vehicle, the autonomous controller device interface configured to receive commands from the autonomous controller module device and provide the sole communication path for the autonomous controller module device to communicate with a Controller Area Network (CAN) of the vehicle;

a physical CAN interface operable to communicate with an engine control module over the CAN;

a command translator operable to cause commands received from the autonomous controller module device via the autonomous controller device interface to be translated into commands operable with the engine control module; and

an authenticator device operable to authenticate the autonomous controller module device providing the commands to the autonomous controller device interface.

2. The gateway module of claim 1, wherein the authenticator device performs a J1939 seed key exchange.

3. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the command translator includes an accessory application programming interface.

4. The gateway of claim 3, wherein the accessory application programming interface provides the accessory with access to the CAN network.

5. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the authenticator device selectively engages a lockout mode that refuses instructions from the autonomous controller device interface.

6. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the command translator is further operable to send vehicle data to the autonomous controller device interface.

7. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the authenticator device requires authentication operations to be performed within a pre-defined timing window.

8. A method of operating a vehicle gateway module device installed on a vehicle including:

sending, by the vehicle gateway device, an authentication request containing a seed value to an autonomous controller module device located external to the vehicle using a sole communication path for the vehicle gateway device to the autonomous controller module, the vehicle gateway module device configured to receive one or more control signals from the autonomous controller module device;

receiving an authentication key value from the autonomous controller module device;

determining, by the vehicle gateway device, if the received authentication key value is a valid value;

when the received key value is a valid value, transmitting one or more control signals received from the autonomous controller module device to a Controller Area Network (CAN); and

when the received key value is not a valid value, preventing transmitting of control signals received from the autonomous controller module device to the Controller Area Network (CAN).

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

receiving at least one of a checksum and message counter value attached to a control signal received from the autonomous controller module device,

determining if the at least one checksum and message counter match expected values;

when the at least one checksum and message counter fail to match expected values, preventing transmitting of control signals received from the autonomous controller module device to the Controller Area Network (CAN).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein sending an authentication request containing a seed value to an autonomous controller module device includes sending a private key value.

11. The method of claim 8, further including determining if a received authentication key value was received within a defined time window.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein when the received authentication key was not received within the defined time window, preventing transmitting of control signals received from the autonomous controller module device to the Controller Area Network (CAN) responsive to the receiving occurring outside the defined time window.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein when the received authentication key was received within the defined time window, permitting transmitting of control signals received from the autonomous controller module device to the Controller Area Network (CAN) responsive to the receiving occurring within the defined time window.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein sending an authentication request containing a seed value to the autonomous controller module device is performed responsive to receiving an authentication request from the autonomous controller module device.

15. A method of operating a vehicle gateway module device installed on a vehicle including:

providing an autonomous controller device interface operable to couple with an autonomous controller module device located external to the vehicle, the autonomous controller device interface configured to receive one or more commands from the autonomous controller module device;

providing a CAN interface device operable to communicate with an engine control module over a CAN;

providing, via the autonomous controller device interface, the sole communication path between the autonomous controller and the CAN interface;

providing a command translator located logically between the autonomous controller device interface and the CAN interface,

providing an authenticator device located logically between the autonomous controller device interface and the CAN interface device,

authenticating an autonomous controller device coupled to the autonomous controller interface device and located external to the vehicle;

translating authenticated commands received from the autonomous controller module device via the autonomous controller device interface to be operable with the engine control unit; and

providing translated commands to the CAN interface device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein authenticating includes performing a J1939 seed key exchange.

17. The method of claim 15, further including an accessory application programming interface that provides an accessory with access to the CAN network.

18. The method of claim 15, further including selectively engaging a lockout mode by the authenticator that refuses instructions from the autonomous controller device interface.

19. The method of claim 15, further including sending vehicle data to the autonomous controller device interface via the command translator.

20. The method of claim 15, further including determining whether authentication operations are performed within a pre-defined timing window and engaging a lockout mode when the authentication operations fail to be performed within the pre-defined timing window.