System and method for tunneling standard bus protocol messages through an automotive switch fabric network

• US 7,599,377 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Levenson, Samuel M., Fehr, Walton L., Remboski, Donald J., Jordan, Patrick D., Dong, Hai, Johnson, Hugh W., Kartha, Prakash U.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho; Hong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones; Prenell P
• Application Number:
  US11/015,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20060083250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/242, 370/217, 370/216, 370/241, 370/328, 370/225, 370/230, 370/234, 370/394, 370/401, 370/352, 370/392, 370/254, 370/386, 370/463, 370/258, 370/351, 370/218, 370/395, 370/331, 370/419, 370/423, 709220-222, 709/249, 709/208, 709/238, 709/209, 709/231, 709/233, 709/228, 709/237, 379/114, 379/90, 379/93, 379/88, 379/900, 710/309, 701/1, 701/36, 701/210, 701/115, 340/425, 340/531, 455/73, 455/41, 455/512, 455/452
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40032 Details regarding a bus interface enhancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4135 using bit-wise arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40208 characterized by the use of a particular bus standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

A system and method for tunneling standard bus protocol messages through an automotive switch fabric network. When a bus protocol message arrives on a connecting node in the network, a bus driver in the node will capture the message and store it into a message buffer where the message can be further processed by a tunneling application. Each received bus protocol message will be broken, or combined, to suit the available packet size of the underlying transmit layer of the switch fabric network. Data portions such as message identification, sequence number, port number, bus data type, and data length are reserved in each data packet. If the message is being broken down, the sequence number is used to differentiate the broken segments of the bus protocol message. The bus data type is used to indicate the type of protocol data being transmitted over the switch fabric. The same tunneling application may be used to reassemble the bus protocol message at a receiving node.

Claims

1. A method for sending a bus protocol message through a switch fabric of a vehicle communication network, the switch fabric including a plurality of nodes joined by communication links for the transmission of data packets therebetween, the bus protocol message having at least message data, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the bus protocol message from a standard protocol bus at a node in the switch fabric, the bus protocol message requiring a response to occur during a predetermined time;

generating a retry response on the standard protocol bus to permit the response to occur at a later time;

generating a first data packet comprising a first message identification, a first sequence number, and a plurality of first data elements, the plurality of first data elements containing at least a first portion of the message data in the bus protocol message;

generating a second data packet comprising a second message identification, a second sequence number, and a plurality of second data elements, the plurality of second data elements containing at least a second portion of the message data in the bus protocol message;

transmitting the first data packet and the second data packet to a target node in the switch fabric of the vehicle communication network;

receiving the first data packet and the second data packet at the target node of the vehicle communication network;

assembling at least the first portion of the message data and the second portion of the message data based on the first and second message identifications and the first and second sequence numbers.

2. The method in claim 1, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with at least one of a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, a SAE J1850 Communications Standard, a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) protocol, a FLEXRAY Communications System Standard, and a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) Protocol.

3. The method in claim 1, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol and the plurality of first data elements of the first data packet further contains data of an arbitration field of the bus protocol message.

4. The method in claim 1, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a SAE J1850 Communications Standard and the plurality of first data elements of the first data packet further contains data of a header field of the bus protocol message.

5. The method in claim 1, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a type of standard protocol bus.

6. The method in claim 1, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a length of the message data of the bus protocol message.

7. The method in claim 1, wherein the first data packet comprising a header portion, a payload portion, and a trailer portion, the payload portion containing the first message identification, the first sequence number, and the plurality of first data elements.

8. A method for sending a bus protocol message through a switch fabric of a vehicle communication network, the switch fabric including a plurality of nodes joined by communication links for the transmission of data packets therebetween, the bus protocol message having at least message data, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the bus protocol message from a standard protocol bus at a node in the switch fabric, the bus protocol message requiring a response to occur during a predetermined time;

generating a retry response on the standard protocol bus to permit the response to occur at a later time;

dividing the message data of the bus protocol message into a first data packet and a second data packet, the first data packet and the second data packet comprising;

a message identification associated with the bus protocol message and a sequence number;

a sequence number associated with an order of the divided message data;

and a plurality of data elements, the plurality of data elements for the first data packet including at least a first portion of the message data, the plurality of the data elements for the second data packet including at least a second portion of the message data;

transmitting the first and second data packets to a target node in the switch fabric of the vehicle communication network;

assembling at least the first portion of the message data and the second portion of the message data based on the message identification associated with the bus protocol message and the sequence numbers.

9. The method in claim 8, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with at least one of a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, a SAE J1850 Communications Standard, a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) protocol, a FLEXRAY Communications System Standard, and a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) Protocol.

10. The method in claim 8, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol and the plurality of first data elements of the first data packet further contains data of an arbitration field of the bus protocol message.

11. The method in claim 8, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a SAE J1850 Communications Standard and the plurality of first data elements of the first data packet further contains data of a header field of the bus protocol message.

12. The method in claim 8, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a type of standard protocol bus.

13. The method in claim 8, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a length of the message data of the bus protocol message.

14. The method in claim 8, wherein the first and second data packets each comprise a header portion, a payload portion, and a trailer portion, the payload portion containing the message identification, the sequence number, and the plurality of data elements.

15. A node in a switch fabric of a vehicle communication network, the switch fabric including a plurality of other nodes joined by communication links for the transmission of data packets therebetween, the node being connected to a standard protocol bus, the node comprising:

a transceiver for receiving a bus protocol message from the standard protocol bus at a node in the switch fabric, the bus protocol message including at least message data, and the bus protocol message requiring a response to occur during a predetermined time;

a processor for generating a retry response message on the standard protocol bus to permit the response to occur at a later time and for dividing the message data of the bus protocol message into a first data packet and a second data packet, the first data packet and the second data packet comprising;

a message identification associated with the bus protocol message and a sequence number;

a sequence number associated with an order of the divided message data; and

a plurality of data elements, the plurality of data elements for the first data packet including at least a first portion of the message data, the plurality of the data elements for the second data packet including at least a second portion of the message data.

16. The node in claim 15, wherein the transceiver transmits the first and second data packets to a destination node in the switch fabric, the destination node configured to assemble the first portion of the message data and the second portion of the message data based on the message identification and the sequence number in the first and second data packets.

17. The node in claim 15, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with at least one of a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol, a SAE J1850 Communications Standard, a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) protocol, a FLEXRAY Communications System Standard, and a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) Protocol.

18. The node in claim 15, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol and the plurality of first data elements of the first data packet further contains data of an arbitration field of the bus protocol message.

19. The node in claim 15, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a SAE J1850 Communications Standard and the plurality of first data elements of the first data packet further contains data of a header field of the bus protocol message.

20. The node in claim 15, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a type of standard protocol bus.

21. The node in claim 15, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a length of the message data of the bus protocol message.

22. The node in claim 15, wherein the first and second data packets each comprise a header portion, a payload portion, and a trailer portion, the payload portion containing the message identifications, the sequence numbers, and the plurality of data elements.

23. A method for sending a bus protocol message through a switch fabric of a vehicle communication network, the switch fabric including a plurality of nodes joined by communication links for the transmission of data packets therebetween, the bus protocol message having at least message data, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the bus protocol message from a standard protocol bus at a node in the switch fabric, the bus protocol message requiring a frame response to occur during a predetermined time;

generating a retry response on the standard protocol bus to permit the frame response to occur at a later time;

generating a first data packet comprising at least a first portion of the message data in the bus protocol message;

generating a second data packet comprising at least a second portion of the message data in the bus protocol message;

transmitting the first data packet and the second data packet to a target node in the switch fabric of the vehicle communication network.

24. The method in claim 23, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a SAE J1850 Communications Standard, the frame response being associated with an in-frame response portion of the bus protocol message.

25. The method in claim 24, wherein the retry response is a null or invalid response.

26. The method in claim 23, wherein the standard protocol bus operates in accordance with a SAE J1850 Communications Standard and the plurality of first data elements of the first data packet further contains data of a header field of the bus protocol message, the data of the heater field including an indicator that the frame response is being requested.

27. The method in claim 23, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a type of standard protocol bus.

28. The method in claim 23, wherein the first or second data packet further comprises a control field that includes an identification of a length of the message data of the bus protocol message.