Vehicle network with time slotted access and method

• US 7,733,841 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Jordan, Patrick D., Levenson, Samuel M., Fehr, Walton L., Remboski, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria; Sharad
• Application Number:
  US11/125,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,855 Days
• Field of Search: 370/336, 370/337, 370/345, 370/347, 370/349, 370/442, 370/458, 370/254, 340/870.13, 340/870.14, 340/10.2, 701/210, 455/502, 455/512, 455/452.2
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4035 in which slots of a TDMA packet structure are assigned based on a contention resolution carried out at a master unit TDM/TDMA multiplex systems per se H04J3/1694; hybrid switching systems H04L12/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle network and method for communicating information within a vehicle. The network includes a plurality of network elements joined by communication links. A data frame is provided for communicating information between a first device and a second device attached to the network. A network element in the network is capable of mapping a first resource on an incoming communication link of the network element to a second link resource of an outgoing communication link of the network element. The network element further has ports for receiving the data frame from the first link resource of the incoming communication link and for communicating the data frame to the second link resource of the outgoing communication link. The mapping may be done statically or dynamically such as based on information stored in the network element or based on information stored in the data frame.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an event-based communication link;

a switch fabric of network elements including a source network element, a destination network element, and a plurality of communication paths between the source network element and the destination network element; and

wherein the source network element is configured to receive vehicle-device data via the event-based communication link from one or more source vehicle devices and is configured to transmit the vehicle-device data along a selected communication path from the source network element to the destination network element, wherein the selected communication path includes at least one time-slotted communication link and is selected from the plurality of communication paths of the switch fabric of network elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected communication path includes at least one intermediate switch-fabric network element that switches a data packet containing the vehicle-device data from a first time slot to a second time slot that is different than the first time slot.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the destination switch-fabric network element switches the data packet from the second time slot back to the first time slot.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected communication path is generated by the one or more source vehicle devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein information specifying the selected communication path is contained within a data packet containing the vehicle-device data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected communication path is determined by each of the switch-fabric network elements along the selected communication path.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein information specifying a next switch-fabric network element along the selected path is contained within a data packet containing the vehicle-device data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data packet containing the vehicle-device data includes a fixed label that specifies routing information and that remains with the data packet throughout the switch fabric of network elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the switch-fabric network elements along the selected communication path includes a table of routing information configured for use in directing the data packet along the selected communication path.

10. An apparatus comprising:

an event-based communication link;

a switch fabric of network elements including a source network element, a destination network element, and a plurality of communication paths between the source network element and the destination network element;

wherein the destination network element is configured to transmit vehicle-device data via the event-based communication link to a destination vehicle device and is configured to receive the vehicle-device data along a selected communication path from the source network element to the destination network element, wherein the selected communication path includes at least one time-slotted communication link and is selected from the plurality of communication paths of the switch fabric of network elements.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the selected communication path includes at least one intermediate switch-fabric network element that switches a data packet containing the vehicle-device data from a first time slot to a second time slot that is different than the first time slot.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the destination switch-fabric network element switches the data packet from the second time slot back to the first time slot.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the selected communication path is generated by the one or more source vehicle devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein information specifying the selected communication path is contained within a data packet containing the vehicle-device data.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the selected communication path is determined by each of the switch-fabric network elements along the selected communication path.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein information specifying a next switch-fabric network element along the selected path is contained within a data packet containing the vehicle-device data.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the data packet containing the vehicle-device data includes a fixed label that specifies routing information and that remains with the data packet throughout the switch fabric of network elements.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein each of the switch-fabric network elements along the selected communication path includes a table of routing information configured for use in directing the data packet along the selected communication path.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to, when executed by the processor, perform operations comprising;

receiving vehicle-device data via an event-based communication link from one or more source vehicle devices, and

transmitting the vehicle-device data along a selected communication path from a source network element of a switch fabric of network elements to a destination network element of the switch fabric of network elements, wherein the selected communication path includes at least one time-slotted communication link and is selected from a plurality of communication paths of the switch fabric of network elements.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the selected communication path is determined by each of the switch-fabric network elements along the selected communication path.