Vehicle data bus system

• US 7,206,672 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Mueller, Achim
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Dalena
• Application Number:
  US10/962,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/213, 340/989, 340/988, 340/825.49, 342/357.07, 342/357.09, 342/457, 455/420, 455/3.01, 455/3.03, 455/346, 455/574
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

The invention concerns a data bus system (30) including a communication unit (40) for bidirectional wireless communication with at least one unit (20) outside of the vehicle (10) and with vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) which are in data transmission communication with the communication unit (40) via at least one data bus (150, 152, 154), wherein data as to status of the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) is transmitted via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154) to the communication unit (40) and transmittable via the communication unit (40) to at least one unit (20) outside the vehicle. According to the invention, a triggering event (E) is received by the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) via at least one data bus (150, 152, 154), and the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) upon receipt of the triggered event (E) transmit their status data via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154) to the communication unit (40).

Claims

1. A vehicle data bus system (30), comprising:

a communication unit (40) for bidirectional wireless communication with at least one unit (20) outside of the vehicle (10) and with vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 220, 130, 140) which are in data transmission communication with the communication unit (40) via at least one data bus (150, 152, 154),

wherein data as to status of the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) is transmitted via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154) to the communication unit (40) and transmittable via the communication unit (40) to the at least one unit (20) outside the vehicle,

wherein communication between the communication unit (40) and the at least one unit (20) outside the vehicle is enabled following occurrence of a triggering event (E) and prior to expiration of a first predetermined time interval (T1) and an inactive operating mode in which the communication unit is switched off is initiated following conclusion of the first predetermined time interval (T1),

wherein a second operating mode is assumed by the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) following the occurrence of the triggering event (E) and alter expiration of a second predetermined time interval (T2) where energy consumption is reduced in comparison to a normal operating mode,

wherein the triggering event (E) is received by the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154),

wherein the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) upon receipt of the triggering event (E) transmit their status data via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154) to the communication unit (40) for storage therein during the second predetermined time interval (T2), and

wherein the first predetermined time interval (T1) is longer than the second predetermined time interval (T2), during the time period after the conclusion of the second predetermined time interval (T2) and before the completion of the first predetermined time interval (T1), the communication unit (40) answers interrogation about the status of the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) on the basis of the status data received via the data bus (30) and stored in the communication unit (40).

2. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1 wherein the triggering event (E) is received by the communication device (40) via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154).

3. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1, wherein the triggering event (E) includes an “

ignition off”

event, which is transmitted as a signal via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154).

4. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1, wherein prior to expiration of the predetermined time interval (T1) the status data stored in the communication unit (40) is transmittable to the at least one unit (20) outside of the vehicle (10) via the communication unit (40).

5. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit (40) is adapted to being switched, by a wakeup signal received via the data bus, from a deactivated operating mode to a mode in which communication via the communication unit (40) is possible.

6. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) are switchable, via a wakeup signal received via the at least one data bus (150, 152, 154), from the second operating mode into their normal operating mode.

7. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 6, wherein the wakeup signal is received by the communication signal (40) dining the first predetermined time interval (T1).

8. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time interval (T2) is significantly less than the first predetermined time interval (T1).

9. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1, wherein stored data in the communication unit (40) for the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) are only accessible to the at least one unit (20) outside of the vehicle (10) via the communication unit (40) after the second predetermined time interval (T2) and during the first predetermined time interval (T1).

10. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle data bus system provides battery savings by preventing communication between the communication unit (40) and the at least one unit (20) outside of the vehicle (10) during a time frame outside of the predetermined time interval (T1) during the inactive operating mode and provides further battery savings by preventing communication between the communication unit (40) and the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110) 120, 130, 140) during a time frame outside of the second predetermined time interval (T2) during the second operating mode.

11. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 10, wherein the communication unit (40) and the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) communicate when the second operating mode is disabled.

12. The vehicle data bus system according to claim 10, wherein the communication unit (40) refrains from communicating with the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) during the first predetermined time interval (T1) and transmits status data of the vehicle units (50, 60, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140) stored in the communication unit (40) to the at least one unit (20) when the at least one unit (20) outside of the vehicle (10) makes an inquiry of the communication unit (40).