Method for remote access of vehicle components

• US 7,904,569 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2000
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Borgia/Cummins LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kaiser, William J., Gelvin, David C., Pottie, Gregory J., Girod, Lewis D., Newberg, Fredric
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder; Patrice L
• Assistant Examiner(s): MIRZA, ADNAN M
• Application Number:
  US09/680,608
• Time in Patent Office: 3,807 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 709/229, 709/209, 709/217, 709/228, 709/227, 701/200, 701/29, 701/33
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/125 Means for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0414 in a stacked or folded configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0464 Annular ring patch
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Vehicle internetworks provide for communications among diverse electronic devices within a vehicle, and for communications among these devices and networks external to the vehicle. The vehicle internetwork comprises specific devices, software, and protocols, and provides for security for essential vehicle functions and data communications, ease of integration of new devices and services to the vehicle internetwork, and ease of addition of services linking the vehicle to external networks such as the Internet.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

coupling an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) bus, an Automotive Multimedia Interface Consortium (AMI-C) bus, and an external network via a gateway device, wherein the OEM bus interconnects OEM vehicle systems that perform vehicle functions, and the AMI-C bus interconnects AMI-C devices;

authenticating devices connected to the AMI-C bus at the gateway device using an application processor, wherein authenticating devices connected to the AMI-C bus at the gateway device using an application processor comprises;

consulting a security database to determine whether a device attempting to access the AMI-C bus via a port node is authorized to communicate with the AMI-C bus; and

in response to determining that the device is unauthorized, instructing the port node to prevent traffic from the unauthorized device from being passed from the device to the AMI-C bus;

routing communications from at least one source to the application processor using a real time processor in the gateway device, the at least one source being selected from the group consisting of the OEM vehicle systems, the AMI-C devices, and the external network;

hosting vehicle applications associated with the OEM vehicle systems and the AMI-C devices on the application processor; and

receiving an external communication at the gateway device and responsively altering a function of a vehicle system of the OEM vehicle systems.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the function of the vehicle system is selected from the group consisting of vehicle control functions, security functions, diagnostic functions, and network access functions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the gateway device to provide a firewall between the AMI-C bus and the OEM bus.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the firewall prevents AMI-C devices connected to the AMI-C bus from disrupting essential functions of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gateway device is coupled to a local development network, and wherein the gateway device acts as a bridge between the OEM bus, the AMI-C bus, the external network, and a local development network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, in bridging the OEM bus, the AMI-C bus, the external network, and the local development network, the gateway device provides a function selected from the group consisting of protocol translation, security, and privacy functions.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the local development network supports wireless transfer of information among a remote information station and at least one of vehicle systems and AMI-C devices.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the gateway device selects a communication method for communications between vehicle systems on the OEM bus, AMI-C devices on the AMI-C bus, the external network, and the local development network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein an internet coupling provides a low-cost communication method, wherein a wider coverage communication selected from the group consisting of two-way paging and cellular telephone communication provides a higher-cost communication method, and wherein selecting a cost effective communication method comprises:

selecting the low-cost communication method for low priority communications; and

selecting the higher-cost communication method for high priority communications.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the low priority communication is a communication selected from the group consisting of uploading of video entertainment, uploading of audio entertainment, software upgrading, transfer of vehicle reliability records and transfer of vehicle performance histories.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the high priority communication is a communication relating to an emergency situation detected by on-board vehicle diagnostics.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the OEM bus is connected to at least one peripheral electronic device, wherein the at least one peripheral electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a climate control device, a position location device, a Global Positioning System device, a sensor device, a switch cluster, and a device subnetwork, and wherein the AMI-C bus is connected to at least one peripheral AMI-C electronic device, wherein the at least one peripheral AMI-C electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a pager, a video device, an audio device, a multimedia player, a personal digital assistant, and a wireless local area network port.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein hosting vehicle applications associated with the OEM vehicle systems and the AMI-C devices on the application processor comprises hosting applications associated with at least one of passenger conveniences and vehicle operations.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle applications associated with the OEM vehicle systems and the AMI-C devices are upgradable via input from the gateway device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising supporting atomic transactions among vehicle systems on the OEM bus, AMI-C devices on the AMI-C bus, and the external network.

16. A gateway device comprising:

an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) bus interface port adapted to communicate with OEM vehicle systems connected to an OEM bus;

an Automotive Multimedia Interface Consortium (AMI-C) bus interface port adapted to communicate with an AMI-C device connected to an AMI-C bus;

a gateway port adapted to communicate with an external network, wherein the gateway device couples the OEM bus, the AMI-C bus, and the external network;

a real-time information processor and an application processor, wherein the real-time information processor is adapted to route communications from at least one source to an application processor, the at least one source being selected from the group consisting of the OEM vehicle systems, the AMI-C device, and the external network; and

an application processor, wherein the application processor is adapted to authenticate AMI-C devices connected to the AMI-C bus and host vehicle applications associated with the OEM vehicle systems and the AMI-C devices, wherein authenticating devices connected to the AMI-C bus comprises;

consulting a security database to determine whether a device attempting to access the AMI-C bus via a port node is authorized to communicate with the AMI-C bus; and

in response to determining that the device is unauthorized, instructing the port node to prevent any traffic from the unauthorized device from being passed from the device to the AMI-C bus, and

wherein the gateway device is operable to receive an external communication and responsively alter a function of a vehicle system.

17. The gateway device of claim 16, further comprising a local development port, wherein the local development port is adapted to communicate with a local development network.

18. The gateway device of claim 17, wherein the gateway device is operable to act as a bridge between the OEM bus, the AMI-C bus, the external network, and the local development network.

19. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein, in bridging the OEM bus, the AMI-C bus, the external network, and the local development network, the gateway device is operable to provide a function selected from the group consisting of protocol translation, security, and privacy functions.

20. The gateway device of claim 18, wherein the gateway device is operable to select a communication method for communications among vehicle systems on the OEM bus, AMI-C devices on the AMI-C bus, the external network, and the local development network.

21. The gateway device of claim 20, wherein selecting a communication method comprises:

selecting a low-cost communication method for low priority communications, wherein the low-cost communication method comprises communication via an internet coupling; and

selecting a higher-cost communication method for high priority communications, wherein the high cost communication method comprises communication via a cellular connection.

22. The gateway device of claim 16, wherein the function of the vehicle system is selected from the group consisting of vehicle control functions, security functions, diagnostic functions, and network access functions.

23. The gateway device of claim 16, wherein hosting vehicle applications associated with the OEM vehicle systems and the AMI-C devices on the application processor comprises hosting vehicle applications associated with at least one of passenger conveniences and vehicle operations.