Motor vehicle having a communication unit for multiple control units

• US 10,445,952 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Voigt, Christoph, Volnhals, Stefan, Stockl, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M
• Application Number:
  US16/082,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20190073840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle including a communication unit, which includes at least one wireless module and is configured to operate a respective wireless link, by way of the at least one wireless module, to at least one vehicle-external object for exchanging communication data. A plurality of function programs are provided in the motor vehicle, which are each configured to provide a vehicle functionality that is based on the communication data. A plurality of control units are provided, which are different from the communication unit, of which each includes a service module which is configured, independently of the function programs, to exchange the communication data from the respective control unit via the communication unit. The function programs are distributed among the control units and are configured to exchange the communication data with the respective service module of the control unit.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a communication unit comprising at least one wireless module configured to operate a respective wireless link, using the at least one wireless module, to at least one vehicle-external object for an exchange of communication data;

a plurality of function programs, each one of the plurality of function programs configured to provide a vehicle functionality that is based on the communication data; and

a plurality of control units, different from the communication unit, and comprising the plurality of function programs,

wherein each one of the plurality of control units includes a service module configured, independently of the plurality of function programs, to exchange the communication data from a respective control unit via the communication unit and the respective wireless link with the at least one vehicle-external object, and configured to provide all those service functions that are required for the exchange of the communication data with the at least one vehicle-external object,

wherein the plurality of function programs are configured to exchange the communication data only with a respective service module of the respective control unit, and

wherein a unit-external communication from the respective control unit to the at least one vehicle-external object is provided by the respective service module.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the service modules of the plurality of control units are designed identically so that a function program is alternately executed on two different control units.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the service modules are configured to perform at least one of an authentication for the plurality of function programs with the at least one vehicle-external object, an encryption of the communication data to be transmitted, or a decryption of received communication data.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a respective copy of one function program is provided in at least two of the plurality of control units, and the at least two of the plurality of control units are configured to each operate one of the copies at a time.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the at least two of the plurality of control units are configured to:

halt one of the copies during ongoing operation for a change from one of the at least two of the plurality of control units to another one of the at least two of the plurality of control units,

ascertain a set of parameters, which describes a current operating state of the halted copy,

set an operating state in the other one of the copies using the set of parameters, and

put the other one of the copies into operation.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

an arbiter unit configured to ascertain a respective resource utilization level of the at least two of the plurality of control units and to equalize the resource utilization levels by the change from the one of the at least two of the plurality of control units to the other one of the at least two of the plurality of control units.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle functionalities comprise at least one of navigation, voice control, processing of sensor signals, car-2-X communication, or remote maintenance.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless module comprises at least one of a mobile communication module, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) module, or a Bluetooth module.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit and the plurality of control units are coupled to one another via a packet-oriented data network.

10. A method for operating a plurality of vehicle functionalities, which are based on communication data exchanged with at least one vehicle-external object, in a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

operating, using at least one wireless module of a communication unit, a respective wireless link to the at least one vehicle-external object;

providing, using a plurality of function programs, the plurality of vehicle functionalities;

operating, using each one of a plurality of control units that are different from the communication unit, a service module;

exchanging, using the service module and independently of the plurality of function programs, the communication data from a respective control unit, via the communication unit and the respective wireless link, with the at least one vehicle-external object; and

providing all those service functions that are required for the exchange of the communication data with the at least one vehicle-external object,

wherein the plurality of function programs are distributed among the plurality of control units and exchange the communication data only with a respective service module of the respective control unit, and

wherein a unit-external communication from the respective control unit to the at least one vehicle-external object is carried out by the respective service module.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the service modules of the plurality of control units are designed identically, and the method further comprising:

alternately executing a function program on two different control units.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

performing, using the service modules, at least one of an authentication for the plurality of function programs with the at least one vehicle-external object, an encryption of the communication data to be transmitted, or a decryption of received communication data.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

providing a respective copy of one function program in at least two of the plurality of control units; and

operating, using each one of the at least two of the plurality of control units, one of the copies at a time.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

halting, using the at least two of the plurality of control units, one of the copies during ongoing operation for a change from one of the at least two of the plurality of control units to another one of the at least two of the plurality of control units;

ascertaining, using the at least two of the plurality of control units, a set of parameters, which describes a current operating state of the halted copy;

setting, using the at least two of the plurality of control units, an operating state in the other one of the copies using the set of parameters; and

putting, using the at least two of the plurality of control units, the other one of the copies into operation.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

ascertaining, using an arbiter unit, a respective resource utilization level of the at least two of the plurality of control units and to equalize the resource utilization levels by the change from the one of the at least two of the plurality of control units to the other one of the at least two of the plurality of control units.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle functionalities comprise at least one of navigation, voice control, processing of sensor signals, car-2-X communication, or remote maintenance.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one wireless module comprises at least one of a mobile communication module, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) module, or a Bluetooth module.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

coupling the communication unit and the plurality of control units using a packet-oriented data network.