Concurrent flashing of data processing units in hierarchical networks

• US 8,856,370 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2005
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Staiger, Dieter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger, Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): COONEY, ADAM A
• Application Number:
  US11/722,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,398 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• 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: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic network with a plurality of processing units that are arranged in sub-networks in a hierarchical and heterogeneous way. The network features a data stream controller that is coupled to any one of the sub-networks and that is adapted to transmit data to any one of the sub-networks. Further, the network has a data transmission port that is coupled to the data stream controller and that provides a high-speed data transmission to the data stream controller. The data stream controller serves to concurrently provide data and in particular flashing data to the various control units in a way that is adapted to the communication protocol and the data transfer rate of each sub-network. The invention therefore provides fast and autonomous flashing of a plurality of processing units, such as electronic control units in a network embedded system such as commonly used in the framework of automotive electronic networks. The data stream controller and its coupling to the various sub-networks provides a non-hierarchical and direct access to any sub-network and/or control unit of a heterogeneous and hierarchical network.

Claims

1. A hierarchical network of processing its comprising:

a plurality of sub-network comprising at least a first sub-network and a second sub-network, wherein each sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks comprises at least one processing unit and wherein each sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks is connected to the hierarchical network via a gateway controller;

a data stream controller directly coupled to each sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks and adapted to transmit data directly to processing units and gateway controllers within the plurality of sub-networks; and

a diagnostic port directly coupled to the data stream controller,

wherein the data stream controller is adapted to perform a diagnostic operation on at least a first gateway controller and processing unit within a first sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks and at least a second gateway controller and processing unit within a second sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks;

wherein the diagnostic operation is a firmware flashing operation and wherein the data stream controller is adapted to flash the first gateway controller and processing unit within the first sub-network during a first time interval and the second gateway controller and processing unit within the second sub-network during a second time interval such that the data stream controller flashes the first gateway controller and processing unit within the first sub-network and the second gateway controller and processing unit within the second sub-network simultaneously during a time period that the first time interval and the second time interval overlap.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic port is coupled to the data stream controller via a high-speed data transmission line and wherein the data steam controller has a dynamic memory.

3. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first and second sub-networks have different data transmission properties and make use of different communication protocols.

4. The network according to claim 1, wherein the data stream controller is adapted to directly feed data into any one of the processing units of the at least first and second sub-networks.

5. The network according to claim 1, wherein the data stream controller is further adapted to control the first gateway controller or the second gateway controller.

6. The network according to claim 1, wherein the data stream controller is adapted to transmit first data to the first sub-network using a first data transmission protocol and a first data transmission rate of the first sub-network and wherein the data stream controller is adapted to transmit second data to the second sub-network using a second data transmission protocol and a second data transmission rate of the second sub-network.

7. The network according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic operation comprises gathering status information of the at least first and second sub-networks.

8. The network according to claim 5, wherein the data stream controller replaces the functionality of the first gateway controller responsive to the first gateway controller failing and wherein the data stream controller replaces the functionality of the second gateway controller responsive to the second gateway controller failing.

9. The network according to claim 1, wherein the processing units are implemented as electronic control units of a vehicle.

10. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first sub-network features a straight bus, a star network, or a ring-bus network topology and uses a control area network (CAN), local interconnect network (LIN), FlexRay, media oriented system transport (MOST), or FireWire data transmission standard.

16. The network according to claim 1, wherein the data stream controller is configured to start flashing the processing units or gateway controllers within the plurality of sub-networks prior to termination of feeding the data into the data stream controller.

11. A data stream controller for transmitting data to a hierarchical network of processing units, wherein the hierarchical network of processing units comprises a plurality of sub-networks comprising at least a first sub-network and a second sub-network, wherein the plurality of sub-networks comprises at least one processing unit and wherein each sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks is connected to the hierarchical network via a gateway controller, wherein the data stream controller is coupled to each processing unit and gateway controller of the first sub-network and the second sub-network and is directly coupled to a diagnostic port, the data stream controller comprising:

a storage for storing flashing data received via the data transmission port, wherein the data stream controller transmits data to processing units and gateway controllers within the plurality of sub-networks,

a control unit for feeding the flashing data into the storage and for providing the first sub-network and the second sub-network with a first and second portion of the flashing data,

wherein the control unit is adapted to flash at least a first gateway controller and processing unit within a first sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks during a first time interval and at least a second gateway controller and processing unit within a second sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks during a second time interval using the flashing data, such that the data stream controller flashes the first gateway controller and processing unit within the first sub-network and the second gateway controller and processing unit within the second sub-network simultaneously during a time period that the first time interval and the second time interval overlap.

12. The data stream controller according to claim 11, further comprising decoder module for decoding the at least first and second portions of the data with respect to a data transmission rate and with respect to a communication protocol of the at least first and second sub-networks.

13. The data stream controller according to claim 11, wherein the storage is implemented by means of synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) or double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR-SDRAM).

17. The data stream controller according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is adapted to flash the first gateway controller and processing unit within the first subnetwork and the second gateway controller and processing unit within the second sub-network within at least partially overlapping time intervals.

18. The data stream controller according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is adapted to transmit first data within the flashing data to the first sub-network using a first data transmission protocol and a first data transmission rate of the first subnetwork and wherein the control unit is adapted to transmit second data within the flashing data to the second sub-network using a second data transmission protocol and a second data transmission rate of the second sub-network.

14. A method of performing diagnostic operations on processing units of a hierarchical network comprising a plurality of sub-networks comprising at least a first sub-network and a second sub-network, wherein the plurality of sub-networks comprises at least one processing unit and wherein each sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks is connected to the hierarchical network via a gateway controller, the method comprising:

communicating diagnostic information between a data stream controller by making use of a high-speed data transmission port directly coupled to the data stream controller, wherein the data stream controller is directly coupled to each sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks and adapted to transmit data to processing units and gateway controllers within the plurality of sub-networks,

performing, by the data stream controller, a diagnostic operation on at least a first gateway controller and processing unit within a first sub-network within the plurality of sub-networks and a second gateway controller and processing unit within the plurality of sub-networks,

wherein the diagnostic operation is a firmware flashing operation and wherein the data stream controller is adapted to flash the first gateway controller and processing unit within the first sub-network during a first time interval and the second gateway controller and processing unit within the second sub-network during a second time interval such that the data stream controller flashes the first gateway controller and processing unit within the first sub-network and the second gateway controller and processing unit within the second sub-network simultaneously during a time period that the first time interval and the second time interval overlap.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising starting flashing the processing units or gateway controllers within the plurality of sub-networks prior to termination of feeding the data into the data stream controller.