Vehicle active network topologies

• US 7,170,853 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Incorporated (Continental AG), Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Remboski, Donald J., Reinold, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jain; Raj K.
• Application Number:
  US09/944,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20030043779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/231, 370/235, 370/242, 370/278, 370/351, 370/352, 370/395.52, 370/374, 370/375, 370/444, 370/445, 370/422, 370/223, 370/225, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks

Abstract

A vehicle active network (12) communicatively couples devices (14–20) within a vehicle (10). Device operation is independent of the interface (22–28) of the device (14–20) with the active network (12). Additionally, the architecture of the active network (12) provides one or more levels of communication redundancy. The architecture provides for the total integration of vehicle systems and functions, and permits plug-and-play device integration and upgradeability.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle network communicatively coupling a plurality of devices within the vehicle, each device including an interface, and each device configured for an operation independent of the interface, wherein the coupling between devices includes at least one redundant path and the coupling defines multiple simultaneous communication paths, and

a router configured to determine at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths, wherein one communication path comprises a no-go zone configured to carry at least one data packet to the exclusion of other data packets to provide assured communication capability between at least two devices associated with the no-go zone.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle network operates on a packet data protocol.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 wherein the packet data protocol is selected from the group consisting of TCP/IP, and ATM.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the router determines at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths responsive to network status.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the router determines at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths responsive to redundant paths.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the muter determines at least one communication pat from the multiple simultaneous communication paths responsive to a loop, the loop having a loop data rate different from a path data rate of at least one other communication path.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein at least one of the communication paths is a peer-to-peer communication path.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the network is an active network, the active network including at least one node capable of performing custom operations on messages that pass though the at least one node, and wherein the active network does not require a central server or computing resources, and wherein each of the at least one node is aware of a content of the messages transported, and wherein the node participates in the processing and modification of the message.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein an architecture of the network is selected from the group consisting of array topology, multi-drop topology, and asymmetric topology.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the architecture supports at least one of peer-to-peer communication, one-to-many broadcast, many-to-many broadcast, intra-network communications, inter-network communications, device to network communications, vehicle to vehicle communications, and vehicle to remote station wireless communications.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the devices comprise a control-by-wire vehicle control system.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a steer-by-wire application, and wherein the steer-by-wire application is associated with a first device and a second device, the first device and second device connected by at least one no-go zone.

13. A system within a vehicle, the system comprising:

a plurality of devices communicatively coupled by the system, each device including an interface, and each device configured for an operation independent of the interface, wherein the coupling between devices includes at least one redundant path and the coupling defines multiple simultaneous communication paths, and

a router configured to determine at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths, wherein one communication oath comprises a no-go zone configured to carry at least one data packet to the exclusion of other data packets to provide assured communication capability between at least two devices associated with the no-go zone.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the router determines at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths responsive to network status.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the router determines at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths responsive to redundant paths.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the router determines at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths responsive to a loop, the loop having a loop data rate different from a pat data rate of at least one other communication path.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the system includes an active network, the active network including at least one node capable of performing custom operations on messages that pass through the at least one node, and wherein the active network does not require a central server or computing resources, and wherein each of the at least one node is aware of a content of the messages transported, and wherein the node participates in the processing and modification of the message.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein an architecture of the system is selected from the group consisting of array topology, multi-drop topology, and asymmetric topology.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the devices comprise a control-by-wire vehicle control system.

20. The system of claim 13 further comprising a steer-by-wire application, and wherein the steer-by-wire application is associated with a first device and a second device, the first device and second device connected by at least one no-go zone.

21. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle network communicatively coupling a plurality of devices within the vehicle;

a plurality of devices communicatively coupled by the vehicle network, each device including an interface, and each device configured for an operation independent of the interface, wherein the coupling between devices includes at least one redundant path and the coupling defines multiple simultaneous communication paths; and

means for determining at least one communication path from the multiple simultaneous communication paths, wherein one communication path comprises a no-go zone configured to carry at least one data packet to the exclusion of other data packets to provide assured communication capability between at least two devices associated with the no-go zone.