Vehicle-specific computation management system for cloud computing

• US 9,231,998 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Filev, Dimitar P., Hrovat, Davor D., Michelini, John O., Makki, Imad H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PELING ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US14/160,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle control and computation system interfaces a task controller in the vehicle with a vehicle-specific computation manager in a cloud network. A wireless data channel couples the task controller and the cloud network. The task controller performs operational tasks in the vehicle using data-related resources in the cloud network. Upon initiating one of the operational tasks, the task controller sends a handshake signal to the computation manager as a resource request. The computation manager calls at least one cloud-based agent from a database of predetermined agents in response to the handshake signal. The task controller completes the operational task via communication with the called agent.

Claims

1. A vehicle control and computation system, comprising:

a task controller in the vehicle;

a vehicle-specific computation manager in a cloud network; and

a wireless data channel coupling the task controller and the cloud network;

wherein the task controller performs operational tasks in the vehicle using data-related resources in the cloud network;

wherein, upon initiating one of the operational tasks, the task controller sends a handshake signal to the computation manager as a resource request;

wherein the computation manager calls at least one cloud-based agent from a database of predetermined agents in response to the handshake signal; and

wherein the task controller completes the operational task via communication with the called agent.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computation manager maintains a task list and a long term data archive corresponding to the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the computation manager receives a plurality of overlapping resource requests from the vehicle, and wherein the computation manager performs a Prioritization task to prioritize each received resource request with respect to the task list and to adjust execution of a called agent according to the prioritization.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the computation manager performs an Initialization task when calling the called agent to set initial data and conditions used by the called agent.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the initial data and conditions include contents of the handshake signal.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the initial data and conditions include contents of the data archive.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the initial data and conditions include crowdsourced data stored in the cloud network.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the computation manager performs a Rebalancing task to halt a called agent and to re-identify a replacement agent in response to changing conditions of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the computation manager performs a Results task to send results to the task controller in response to a successful operation is by the called agent.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computation manager performs a Failure task in response to unsuccessful operation of the called agent, wherein the Failure task includes a re-initialization to reset initial data and conditions used by the called agent and re-starting of the called agent.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the computation manager performs a Termination task to release the called agent and the data-related resources after 1) performing the Results task, or 2) inability of the Failure task to re-start the called agent.