Method for vehicle internetworks

• US 8,079,118 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2010
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Benhov GmbH, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Borgia/Cummins LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gelvin, David C., Girod, Lewis D., Kaiser, William J., Pottie, Gregory J., Newberg, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORTHY, ARAVIND K
• Application Number:
  US12/904,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726/3, 726/4, 726/7, 726/22, 726/34, 713/151, 713/153, 713/161, 713/168, 713/189, 709/208, 709/217, 709/220, 709/231, 701/24, 701/29, 701/33
• US Class Current: 26/26
• 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 for internetworking, comprising:

coupling a plurality of network elements including at least one node and at least one bus among at least one electronic device, wherein the at least one node includes at least one gateway node, and wherein the plurality of network elements comprise a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs);

automatically assembling and configuring the plurality of network elements in response to node information;

providing network resource information among the plurality of network elements, wherein the network resource information includes network timing information and energy usage information;

establishing a synchronism hierarchy, being energy usage aware, in response to the network timing information; and

controlling information transfer among the plurality of network elements using the synchronism hierarchy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the node information comprises configuration information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the node information comprises security information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronism hierarchy comprises at least a first level of synchronization and a second level of synchronization, wherein the first level of synchronization is supported among a first subset of the plurality of network elements, and wherein the second level of synchronization is supported among a second subset of the plurality of network elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprises:

listening for traffic on a control channel; and

requesting service for the at least one node via a slot of the control channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one node is configured to communicate a code that identifies the at least one node and indicates a capability of the at least one node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprises:

determining whether the at least one node is authorized to communicate on the at least one bus.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprises:

in response to a determination that the at least one node is not authorized to communicate on the at least one bus, establishing authorization for the at least one node.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprises:

in response to a determination that the at least one node is not authorized to communicate on the at least one bus, instructing a network element of the plurality of network elements to prevent traffic from the at least one node.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of APIs comprise a layered set of APIs.

11. An article of manufacture containing a non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising instructions for:

coupling a plurality of network elements including at least one node and at least one bus among at least one electronic device, wherein the at least one node includes at least one gateway node, and wherein the plurality of network elements comprise a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs);

automatically assembling and configuring the plurality of network elements in response to node information;

providing network resource information among the plurality of network elements, wherein the network resource information includes network timing information and energy usage information;

establishing a synchronism hierarchy, being energy usage aware, in response to the network timing information; and

controlling information transfer among the plurality of network elements using the synchronism hierarchy.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the node information comprises configuration information.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the node information comprises security information.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the synchronism hierarchy comprises at least a first level of synchronization and a second level of synchronization, wherein the first level of synchronization is supported among a first subset of the plurality of network elements, and wherein the second level of synchronization is supported among a second subset of the plurality of network elements.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the instructions for establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprise instructions for:

listening for traffic on a control channel; and

requesting service for the at least one node via a slot of the control channel.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the at least one node is configured to communicate a code that identifies the at least one node and indicates a capability of the at least one node.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the instructions for establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprise instructions for:

determining whether the at least one node is authorized to communicate on the at least one bus.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions for establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprise instructions for:

in response to a determination that the at least one node is not authorized to communicate on the at least one bus, establishing authorization for the at least one node.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions for establishing the synchronism hierarchy comprise instructions for:

in response to a determination that the at least one node is not authorized to communicate on the at least one bus, instructing a network element of the plurality of network elements to prevent traffic from the at least one node.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the plurality of APIs comprise a layered set of APIs.