Automotive neural network

• US 20160020943A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Diab, Wael William, Tazebay, Mehmet V.
• Granted Patent: US 9,917,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1423 by reconfiguration of paths
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1476 in neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2033 switching over of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/85 Active fault masking without idle spares active fault masking without idle spare hardware where processing functionality is redundant G06F11/2035
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Network node modules within a vehicle are arranged to form a reconfigurable automotive neural network. Each network node module includes one or more subsystems for performing one or more operations and a local processing module for communicating with the one or more subsystems. A management system enables traffic from the one or more subsystems of a particular network node module to be re-routed to an external processing module upon failure of the local processing module of that particular network node module.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A vehicular communication device, comprising:

a vehicular network interface configured to support communications with other vehicular components in a vehicle via a vehicular communication network; and

processing circuitry configured to communicate with local processing circuitry of a plurality of network node modules in the vehicle via the vehicular network interface and the vehicular communication network;

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to;

determine that local processing circuitry of a first one of the plurality of network node modules has failed; and

when the local processing circuitry of the first one of the plurality of network node modules has failed, support rerouting of traffic intended for the local processing circuitry of the first one of the network node modules to processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules.

3. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry external to the first one of the plurality of network node modules comprises processing circuitry of a second one of the plurality of network node modules.

4. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the vehicular network interface comprises a multi-port Ethernet switch.

5. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the vehicular network interface comprises an Ethernet Physical Interface.

6. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry external to the first one of the plurality of network node modules is selected based upon latency requirements of the first one of the plurality of network node modules.

7. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry external to the first one of the plurality of network node modules comprises processing circuitry external to the vehicle.

8. The vehicular communication device of claim 7, wherein the vehicular network interface supports wireless inter-vehicular communications.

9. The vehicular communication device of claim 7, wherein rerouting of the traffic intended for the local processing circuitry of the first one of the network node modules to processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules comprises rerouting of the traffic from the vehicular network interface to a wireless network interface that supports wireless inter-vehicular communications.

10. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry and vehicular network interface are further configured to translate communications between an Ethernet format and a differing vehicle communication format.

11. The vehicular communication device of claim 10, wherein the differing vehicle communication format comprises one of:

J1850 format;

OBDII format;

Intellibus format;

Controller Area Network (CAN) format;

FlexRay format;

Bosch-Siemens-Temic format;

Motorola®

interconnect (MI) format;

Mobile Media Link (MML) format;

Domestic Digital Data (D2B) format;

smartwireX format;

inter-equipment bus (IEBus) format;

or

media oriented systems transport (MOST) format.

12. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to select the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules based on one or more operations performed by the first one of the network node modules.

13. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to select the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules based on respective locations of the first one of the network node modules and the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules.

14. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry, the local processing circuitry of the first one of the plurality of network node modules, and the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules are coupled together in one or more hierarchical configurations and the processing circuitry is configured to select the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules based on the one or more hierarchical configurations.

15. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of network node modules are indirectly coupled to one another via the vehicular network interface.

16. The vehicular communication device of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control a powered state of at least one of the network node modules.

17. The vehicular communication device of claim 16, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the powered state of the at least one of the network node modules by individually controlling powered states of a plurality of the network node modules.

18. The vehicular communication device of claim 16, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the powered state of the at least one of the network node modules by controlling a powered state of a group of the plurality of the network node modules.

19. The vehicular communication device of claim 16, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the powered state of the at least one of the network node modules by controlling a power to a network interface servicing the at least one of the network node modules.

20. A vehicular communication device, comprising:

a vehicular network interface configured to support communications with a plurality of network node modules in a vehicle via a vehicular communication network, each of the plurality of network node modules including at least one vehicle sub-system; and

processing circuitry configured to communicate with respective local processing circuitry of the plurality of network node modules in the vehicle via the vehicular network interface and the vehicular communication network;

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to;

determine that local processing circuitry of a first one of the plurality of network node modules has failed; and

when the local processing circuitry of the first one of the plurality of network node modules has failed, support rerouting of traffic intended for the local processing circuitry of the first one of the network node modules to processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules.

21. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry external to the first one of the plurality of network node modules comprises processing circuitry of a second one of the plurality of network node modules.

22. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the vehicular network interface comprises a multi-port Ethernet switch.

23. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the vehicular network interface comprises an Ethernet Physical Interface.

24. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry, the local processing circuitry of the first one of the plurality of network node modules, and the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules are coupled together in one or more hierarchical configurations and the processing circuitry is configured to select the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules based on the one or more hierarchical configurations.

25. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of network node modules are indirectly coupled to one another via the vehicular network interface.

26. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry external to the first one of the plurality of network node modules is selected based upon latency requirements of the first one of the plurality of network node modules.

27. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry external to the first one of the plurality of network node modules comprises processing circuitry external to the vehicle.

28. The vehicular communication device of claim 27, wherein the vehicular network interface supports wireless inter-vehicular communications.

29. The vehicular communication device of claim 27, wherein rerouting of the traffic intended for the local processing circuitry of the first one of the network node modules to processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules comprises rerouting of the traffic from the vehicular network interface to a wireless network interface that supports wireless inter-vehicular communications.

30. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry and vehicular network interface are further configured to translate communications between an Ethernet format and a differing vehicle communication format.

31. The vehicular communication device of claim 30, wherein the differing vehicle communication format comprises one of:

J1850 format;

OBDII format;

Intellibus format;

Controller Area Network (CAN) format;

FlexRay format;

Bosch-Siemens-Temic format;

Motorola®

interconnect (MI) format;

Mobile Media Link (MML) format;

Domestic Digital Data (D2B) format;

smartwireX format;

inter-equipment bus (IEBus) format;

or media oriented systems transport (MOST) format.

32. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to select the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules based on one or more operations performed by the first one of the network node modules.

33. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to select the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules based on respective locations of the first one of the network node modules and the processing circuitry external to the first one of the network node modules.

34. The vehicular communication device of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control a powered state of at least one of the network node modules.

35. The vehicular communication device of claim 34, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the powered state of the at least one of the network node modules by individually controlling powered states of a plurality of the network node modules.

36. The vehicular communication device of claim 34, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the powered state of the at least one of the network node modules by controlling a powered state of a group of the plurality of the network node modules.

37. The vehicular communication device of claim 34, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the powered state of the at least one of the network node modules by controlling a power to a network interface servicing the at least one of the network node modules.

38. A vehicular communication device, comprising:

a vehicular network interface configured to support communications with a plurality of network node modules in a vehicle via a vehicular communication network, each of the plurality of network node modules including at least one vehicle sub-system; and

processing circuitry configured to communicate with respective local processing circuitry of the plurality of network node modules in the vehicle via the vehicular network interface and the vehicular communication network;

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to;

control a powered state of a first one of the plurality of network node modules;

at a first time, direct the first one of the plurality of network node modules to enter a low power mode of reduced functionality; and

at a second time later than the first time, direct the first one of the plurality of network node modules to exit the low power mode of reduced functionality.

39. The vehicular communication device of claim 38, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

at a first time, direct the first group of the plurality of network node modules to enter a low power mode of reduced functionality; and

at a second time later than the first time, direct at least one network node module of the first group of the plurality of network node modules to exit the low power mode of reduced functionality.

40. The vehicular communication device of claim 39, wherein the first group of the plurality of network node modules comprises a power managed island of network node modules.