Method and apparatus for the remote monitoring and configuration of electronic control systems
First Claim
1. A method for remotely monitoring and configuring a vehicle subsystem located on a vehicle, said vehicle subsystem being connected to a vehicle data link, said vehicle being one of a fleet of vehicles in communication with a central base station, comprising the steps of:
- providing, within said vehicle, a message packet including status information produced by a vehicle subsystem within said vehicle, said message packet further including header information identifying said vehicle and said vehicle subsystem;
transmitting said message packet from said vehicle to said central base station; and
directing said message packet to a specific vehicle subsystem application program at said central base station as a function of said header information identifying said vehicle subsystem for monitoring and configuring said vehicle subsystem.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for communication between a fleet of vehicles and a central base station, where each of the vehicles includes one or more vehicle subsystems connected to a vehicle data link, is disclosed herein. Within each vehicle, message packets generated by vehicle subsystems are placed upon the vehicle data link. Each message packet includes header information identifying a given vehicle and subsystem thereof. The message packets are transmitted from the fleet of vehicles to the central base station, and routed within the central base station based on the header information. Control information and the like may also be transmitted by the central base station for receipt by various vehicle subsystems within selected ones of the fleet vehicles. Each message packet generated by the central base station includes header information identifying at least a particular fleet vehicle and vehicle subsystem. This allows each message packet to be retrieved by the specified vehicle subsystem by way of the vehicle data link.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. A method for remotely monitoring and configuring a vehicle subsystem located on a vehicle, said vehicle subsystem being connected to a vehicle data link, said vehicle being one of a fleet of vehicles in communication with a central base station, comprising the steps of:
-
providing, within said vehicle, a message packet including status information produced by a vehicle subsystem within said vehicle, said message packet further including header information identifying said vehicle and said vehicle subsystem; transmitting said message packet from said vehicle to said central base station; and directing said message packet to a specific vehicle subsystem application program at said central base station as a function of said header information identifying said vehicle subsystem for monitoring and configuring said vehicle subsystem. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
4. A method for remotely monitoring and configuring a vehicle subsystem located on a vehicle, said vehicle subsystem being connected to a vehicle data link, said vehicle being one of a fleet of vehicles in communication with a central base station, comprising the steps of:
-
generating, at said central base station, a message packet for receipt by a vehicle subsystem within said vehicle, said message packet including header information identifying said vehicle and said vehicle subsystem; transmitting said message packet from said central base station to said vehicle; comparing said header information of said message packet to corresponding vehicle subsystem identifying information stored within a database located onboard said vehicle; and placing said message packet upon said vehicle data link if said header information agrees with said corresponding vehicle subsystem identifying information within said database for directing said message packet to said vehicle subsystem identified by said vehicle subsystem identifying information. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A communication network for remotely monitoring and configuring a vehicle subsystem located on a vehicle, said vehicle subsystem being connected to a vehicle data link, said vehicle being one of a fleet of vehicles in communications with a central base station, said communication network comprising:
-
means for placing message packets upon the vehicle data link of said vehicle, said message packets indicating the status of at least one vehicle subsystem within said vehicle wherein each of said message packets includes header information identifying at least one vehicle subsystem; a mobile communications terminal, connected to the vehicle data link of said vehicle, for transmitting said message packets from said vehicle to said central base station; and means for routing said message packets to vehicle subsystem application programs within said central base station as a function of said vehicle subsystem identifying information contained in said header information. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 26, 27)
-
-
14. A communication network for remotely monitoring and configuring a vehicle subsystem located on a vehicle, said vehicle subsystem being connected to a vehicle data link, said vehicle being one of a fleet of vehicles in communications with a central base station, said communication network comprising:
-
a message program, resident within said central base station, for generating a message packet for receipt by a vehicle subsystem within said vehicle, said message packet including header information identifying said vehicle and said vehicle subsystem; a mobile communication terminal, disposed at said vehicle, for receiving said message packet wherein said message packet is retrievable by said vehicle subsystem from the vehicle data link; a database located within said mobile communications terminal containing vehicle subsystem identifying information corresponding to said vehicle subsystem; and a comparator module located within said mobile communications terminal for comparing said header information of said message packet to corresponding vehicle subsystem identifying information within said database and placing said message packet upon said vehicle data link if said header information agrees with said corresponding vehicle subsystem identifying information with said database for directing said message packet to said vehicle subsystem identified by said vehicle subsystem identifying information. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
Specification