System and method for evaluating the performance of an automotive switch fabric network

• US 20060083172A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Levenson, Samuel M., Jordan, Patrick D., Dong, Hai, Johnson, Hugh W., Kartha, Prakash U., Bakhtin, Alexey V., Tykuchinskaya, Olga I.
• Application Number:
  US11/015,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20060083172A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• 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 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A system and method for evaluating the performance of an automotive switch fabric network using a diagnostic interface. A diagnostic device and interface is connected to an automotive switch fabric network, comprising of a plurality of communication nodes, through one of the nodes in the switch fabric network. The diagnostic device and interface configures the switch fabric network to operate in a test mode. The diagnostic device and interface will issue a first command to one node to start traffic across a test node at a predetermined traffic rate and a second command to another node to generate a test message that passes through the test node. The test node contains message processing logic that will process the messages as they pass through the test node. A plurality of timestamps is generated in the message processing logic of the test node to monitor the progression of the messages through the processing logic. The test node includes a diagnostic interface agent that collects the timestamp data and reports the data back to the diagnostic interface and device.

Claims

1. A system for evaluating the performance of a vehicle network, the vehicle network including a plurality of nodes joined by communication links for the transmission of data there between, the system comprising:

a diagnostic device for configuring the vehicle network in a test mode;

a node in the vehicle network connected to the diagnostic device for receiving a control message from the diagnostic device;

a test node having message processing logic, the message processing logic including the capability of storing a plurality of timestamps that monitor the progressing of a test message through the test node during the test mode;

wherein the control message received from the diagnostic device includes a command to generate a test message through the test node.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein the node further receives another control message from the diagnostic device that includes a command to generate a plurality of traffic message through the test node during the test mode.

3. The system in claim 2, wherein the diagnostic device is configured to allow a user to adjust a rate at which the plurality of traffic messages pass through the test node.

4. The system in claim 1, wherein the node connected to the diagnostic device is a gateway node, the test node configured to report the plurality of timestamps to the diagnostic device through the gateway node.

5. The system in claim 4, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message in a receive buffer of the test node.

6. The system in claim 4, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message being processed by an application in the test node.

7. The system in claim 4, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message in a transmit buffer of the test node.

8. A method for evaluating the performance of a vehicle network, the vehicle network including a plurality of nodes joined by communication links for the transmission of data there between, the plurality of nodes including a gateway node, a test node, a first neighboring test node and a second neighboring test node, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring the vehicle network in a test mode;

receiving, at the gateway node, a first control message and routing the first control message to the first neighboring test node, the first control message containing a command to generate traffic messages through the test node;

receiving, at the gateway node, a second control message and routing the second control message to the second neighboring test node, the second control message containing a command to send a test message through the test node; and

generating a plurality of timestamps as the test message is sent through the test node.

9. The method in claim 8, wherein the first control message and the second control message is received by the gateway node from a diagnostic device.

10. The method in claim 9 further comprising the step of reporting the plurality of generated timestamps to the diagnostic device.

11. The method in claim 8, wherein the first control message further includes a rate for generating traffic messages through the test node.

12. The method in claim 8, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message in a receive buffer of the test node.

13. The method in claim 8, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message being processed by an application in the test node.

14. The method in claim 8, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message in a transmit buffer of the test node.

15. A method for evaluating the performance of a vehicle network, the vehicle network including a plurality of nodes joined by communication links for the transmission of data there between, the plurality of nodes including a gateway node and a test node, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring the vehicle network in a test mode;

sending a first control message to the gateway node, the first control message containing a command to generate traffic messages through the test node;

sending a second control message to the gateway node, the second control message containing a command to send a test message through the test node; and

generating a plurality of timestamps as the test message is sent through the test node.

16. The method in claim 15, wherein the first control message and the second control message is sent to the gateway node by a diagnostic device.

17. The method in claim 16 further comprising the step of reporting the plurality of generated timestamps to the diagnostic device.

18. The method in claim 15, wherein the first control message further includes a rate for generating traffic messages through the test node.

19. The method in claim 15, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message in a receive buffer of the test node.

20. The method in claim 15, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message being processed by an application in the test node.

21. The method in claim 15, wherein the plurality of timestamps includes at least one timestamp associated with the test message in a transmit buffer of the test node.