SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCESSING AN IN-VEHICLE COMMUNICATION NETWORK VIA A MEDIA INTERFACE

• US 20100121939A1
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG), Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG), Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Jensen, Eric, Swager, Jason, Finn, Brian Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• 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: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A system and method relate to accessing an in-vehicle communication network, including a media interface having a microprocessor. The media interface may be connected to a vehicle media system. Further, a media device may be connected to the media interface, and the media device may access the in-vehicle communication network via the media interface.

Claims

1. A system for accessing an in-vehicle communication network, comprising:

a media interface including a microprocessor, the media interface connected to a vehicle media system;

a media device configured to connect to the media interface, via which the media device is configured to access the in-vehicle communication network.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein all modules within the in-vehicle communication network are accessible via the media interface.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor of the media interface is configured to transmit at least one of (a) update data and (b) status data.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the microprocessor of the media interface is configured to transmit update data from the connected media device to the in-vehicle communication network.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the microprocessor of the media interface is configured to retrieve update data from the connected media device, identify a module within the in-vehicle communication network to update, and transmit the update data to the identified module.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the microprocessor of the media interface is configured to transmit status data from the in-vehicle communication network to the connected media device.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the microprocessor of the media interface is configured to collect status data from the in-vehicle communication network, and store the status data on the connected media device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the media device is configured to connect to an external network.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the media device is configured to retrieve, from the external network, update data for a module within the in-vehicle communication network.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the media device is configured to transfer, to the external network, status data from a module within the in-vehicle communication network.

11. A method for accessing an in-vehicle communication network, comprising:

connecting a media device to a media interface including a microprocessor, the media interface connected to a vehicle media system; and

accessing the in-vehicle communication network via the media device.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising accessing all modules within the in-vehicle communication network via the media interface.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising transmitting at least one of (a) update data and (b) status data by the microprocessor of the media interface.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising transmitting update data by the microprocessor of the media interface from the connected media device to the in-vehicle communication network.

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

retrieving update data by the microprocessor of the media interface from the connected media device;

identifying a module within the in-vehicle communication network to update; and

transmitting the update data to the identified module.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising transmitting status data by the microprocessor of the media interface from the in-vehicle communication network to the connected media device.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

collecting status data by the microprocessor of the media interface from the in-vehicle communication network; and

storing the status data on the connected media device.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising connecting the media device to an external network.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising retrieving by the media device, from the external network, update data for a module within the in-vehicle communication network.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising transferring by the media device, to the external network, status data from a module within the in-vehicle communication network.