Data Communication Method

• US 20090070488A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Baumgartner, Martin, Bruenner, Guenter, Rebhan, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 8,677,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• 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

Abstract

A data communication method between a first communication user arranged at a motor vehicle and a second communication user arranged outside the motor vehicle is provided. The first communication user can be addressed by the second communication user by way of a network address. The network address of the first communication user is defined by an address management unit arranged outside the motor vehicle and is transmitted to the first communication user.

Claims

1. A method for data communication between a first communication user situated in a motor vehicle and a second communication user situated outside the motor vehicle, the first communication user being addressable by the second communication user via a network address, the method comprising the acts of:

defining the network address of the first communication user by an address management unit situated outside the motor vehicle; and

transmitting the defined network address of the first communication user to the first communication user.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

for initiating a network address request, receiving a transmitted request message containing an unambiguous vehicle identification of the motor vehicle from a communication user situated in the motor vehicle by the address management unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, assignment data for an assignment between the unambiguous vehicle identification received and the subsequently defined network address are stored at the address management unit.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein assignment data for the assignment between the unambiguous vehicle identification received and the subsequently defined network address are stored at an address exchange unit, at which the network address pertaining to a vehicle identification can be queried by other communication users.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second communication user is a diagnostic tester.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second communication user is a diagnostic tester.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second communication user is a diagnostic tester.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein communication between the first and the second communication user takes place by way of a standard interface.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein communication between the first and the second communication user takes place by way of a standard protocol.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein communication between the first and the second communication user takes place by way of a standard protocol.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the standard interface is an Ethernet interface and the standard protocol is TCP/IP.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, on the vehicle side, at the first communication user, an input data stream transmitted during the data communication from the second communication user is converted by a vehicle access application to a diagnostic data stream in the data format of a conventional diagnostic communication.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein, on the vehicle side, at the first communication user, an input data stream transmitted during the data communication from the second communication user is converted by a vehicle access application to a diagnostic data stream in the data format of a conventional diagnostic communication.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the address management unit is constructed as a DHCP server and/or that the address exchange unit is constructed as a DNS server.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the address management unit is constructed as a DHCP server and/or that the address exchange unit is constructed as a DNS server.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the address management unit is constructed as a DHCP server and/or that the address exchange unit is constructed as a DNS server.

17. The method according to claim 2, wherein the unambiguous vehicle identification is a vehicle chassis number.

18. The method according to claim 3, wherein the unambiguous vehicle identification is a vehicle chassis number.

19. The method according to claim 4, wherein the unambiguous vehicle identification is a vehicle chassis number.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the unambiguous vehicle identification is a vehicle chassis number.