Method and apparatus for remotely communicating vehicle information to the cloud

• US 9,275,503 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Yixiang, Johnson, Drew S., Garner, Michael, Durrer, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): KERRIGAN, MICHAEL V
• Application Number:
  US13/482,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the communication of vehicle data, diagnostics and related information with a network remote from the vehicle, and more particularly to communications and storage of vehicle data in the cloud. In one or more preferred embodiments, vehicle information is securely gathered from a vehicle, processed in accordance with instructions and a profile set remotely, and stored at a remote data store, where remote access to such information can be accommodated through applications, smartphones and other remote devices.

Claims

1. A method for communicating and storing vehicle information from a vehicle across a remote network to one or more remote devices utilizing at least one communication protocol of the vehicle, comprising the steps of:

receiving vehicle data from the vehicle through a device protocol system in communication arrangement with the vehicle;

providing security, permission and privacy in relation to the vehicle data;

processing requests from applications to access the vehicle data;

providing a data sharing profile which includes identifiable attributes, authentication and authorization rules and duration, to an entity in control of the vehicle to allow for control of how data of the vehicle will be shared;

transmitting at least one message having a device ID, a network ID, and the received vehicle data, from the device protocol system across the remote network to a service broker system capable of mapping the device ID to the network ID;

wherein the network ID uniquely identifies a communication endpoint in the remote network; and

,

decoding and storing the vehicle information of the at least one transmitted message on the remote network at a data store in relation to the transmitted at least one message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received vehicle data from the vehicle is one or more of diagnostic, operational, performance, proprietary, service, and parameter data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle further comprises an electronic vehicle communication system in communication arrangement with the device protocol system using one or more defined protocols.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the device protocol system and the vehicle communication system are in communication via one or more defined protocols.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the service broker system is in communication with one or more of a vehicle manufacturer, vehicle owner, diagnostic system, mobile application and device protocol system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more defined protocols include at least one standard protocol defined as:

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1850 pulse-width modulation (PWM) standard protocol;

SAE J1850 variable pulse width (VPW);

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9141-2;

ISO 14230 Keyword Protocol 2000 (KWP2000); and

, ISO 15765 Controller Area Network (CAN) bus.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle further comprises a vehicle communication system in communication arrangement with the device protocol system using one or more defined protocols.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is an automobile, mobile transport equipment, industrial equipment, medical device, or device having a communication system, engine control unit (ECU) to provide data across a communication protocol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network ID is one or more of a mobile identification network (MIN) identifier, an Internet Protocol (IP) v4 address, an IPv6 address, a device IP address, an address of a user, an address of a vehicle manufacturer, and an address of a storage device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the service broker system is on the remote network and the remote network is a cloud.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitted at least one message further includes one or more of proprietary data, a codec, service data, command data, and parameter data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data store is located at an address on the remote network associated with the network ID.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of decoding further includes encoding whereby the communication between the device protocol system and the service broker system is bilateral.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the service broker system is capable of decoding the transmitted at least one message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of communicating with one or more of a vehicle manufacturer, codec data store, or proprietary command data store to obtain one or more associated formats, commands, codes, codecs, and proprietary translations for decoding or encoding.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one message further comprises a header having one or more of the network ID, the device ID, and a session ID for identifying a communication session of the message.

17. The method of claim 7, the network ID is a destination identifier associated with any of a network, user, manufacturer, mobile application, device, or other addressable node of the remote network;

and the device ID is an originating source identifier of the vehicle data.

18. An apparatus for communicating and storing vehicle information from a vehicle across a remote network to one or more remote devices utilizing at least one communication protocol of the vehicle, comprising:

a device protocol system capable of communications with a remote service broker system and a vehicle,

the device protocol system having;

a protocol adapter for communicating with a vehicle communication system of the vehicle across one or more defined protocols and receiving vehicle data, and a device controller for communicating received vehicle data and one or more network storage addresses with a service broker system across the remote network,

the service broker system having;

a broker network module for receiving and sending one or more messages with one or more of the device controller, a device maker, a vehicle manufacturer, a vehicle assignee, a data store, and a mobile application;

a decoder for decoding received vehicle data from the device protocol system; and

an access control module for providing a data use profile rule set for the vehicle data;

an access control module for providing security, permission and privacy in relation to the obtained or to-be-obtained vehicle data;

wherein the access control module includes a data sharing profile which includes identifiable attributes, authentication and authorization rules and duration, to an entity in control of the vehicle to allow for control of how data of the vehicle will be shared;

an application service module for processing requests from applications to access vehicle data; and

a communications module for transmitting at least one message having a device ID, a network ID, and the received vehicle data, from the device protocol system across the remote network to a service broker system capable of mapping the device ID to the network ID;

wherein the network ID uniquely identifies a communication endpoint in the remote network to the service broker system;

whereby the service broker system stores decoded vehicle data to the one or more remote devices across the remote network in relation to the one or more remote network storage addresses.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the received vehicle data is one or more of diagnostic, operational, performance, proprietary, service, and parameter data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the received vehicle data is output data compliant with OBD II.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the device protocol system and the vehicle communication system are in operational communication.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the device protocol system further comprises:

the vehicle communication system being OBD II standard compliant and the defined protocols being one or more of;

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1850 pulse-width modulation (PWM) standard protocol;

SAE J1850 variable pulse width (VPW);

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9141-2;

ISO 14230 Keyword Protocol 2000 (KWP2000); and

, ISO 15765 Controller Area Network (CAN) bus.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the network ID uniquely identifies the communications module transmitting or receiving the at least one message.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the transmitting of at least one message is performed over one or more communication technologies of:

Code division multiple access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), 4G LTE, wireless local area network (WIFI), and one or more wired networks.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one message contains a header, service data and proprietary data.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the header includes the network ID, and the service data includes the vehicle data, and the proprietary data includes proprietary data formats and commands for the service broker system.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the header further includes the device ID.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the service broker system further provides for mapping of the device ID and the network ID to one or more addresses on the remote network, decoding the at least one message from the device protocol system, sending at least one or message to and from the device controller, and querying and receiving information with the mobile application.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the service broker system further includes:

a device profile module for storing the mapping of the device ID and the network ID to one or more addresses on the remote network, whereby a device ID includes at least one endpoint ID;

a data store being at least one of the one or more remote devices for storing received vehicle data; and

, an applications service module for processing requests from software applications to access vehicle data.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the service broker system is on the remote network and the remote network is a cloud.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the vehicle is an automobile, mobile transport equipment, industrial equipment, medical device, or device having a communication system with a compliant communication protocol.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the device controller comprises a circuit controller board and the device adapter comprises a microcontroller capable of interfacing with a defined protocol.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the defined protocol is CAN bus or based on a CAN bus standard.

34. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer usable medium, comprising:

computer readable program means for causing a computer to control an execution of an application to perform a method for communicating and storing vehicle information from a vehicle across a remote network to one or more remote devices utilizing at least one communication protocol of the vehicle, comprising;

receiving vehicle data from the vehicle through a device protocol system in communication arrangement with the vehicle;

providing security, permission and privacy in relation to the vehicle data;

processing requests from applications to access the vehicle data;

providing a data sharing profile which includes identifiable attributes, authentication and authorization rules and duration, to an entity in control of the vehicle to allow for control of how data of the vehicle will be shared;

transmitting at least one message having a device ID, a network ID, and the received vehicle data, from the device protocol system across the remote network to a service broker system capable of mapping the device ID to the network ID;

wherein the network ID uniquely identifies a communication endpoint in the remote network; and

decoding and storing the vehicle information of the at least one transmitted message on the remote network at a data store in relation to the transmitted at least one message.

35. The non-transitory program product of claim 34, wherein the device protocol system further comprises:

the vehicle communication system being OBD II standard compliant and the defined protocols being one or more of;

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1850 pulse-width modulation (PWM) standard protocol;

SAE J1850 variable pulse width (VPW);

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9141-2;

ISO 14230 Keyword Protocol 2000 (KWP2000); and

, ISO 15765 Controller Area Network (CAN) bus.

36. The non-transitory program product of claim 35, wherein the transmitting of at least one message is performed over one or more communication technologies of:

Code division multiple access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), 4G LTE, wireless local area network (WIFI), and one or more wired networks.

37. The non-transitory program product of claim 36, wherein the remote network includes the Internet.

38. The non-transitory program product of claim 37, wherein the vehicle data is one or more of diagnostic, operational, performance, proprietary, service, and parameter data.

39. The non-transitory program product of claim 38, wherein the product is one of software, web-based application, or firmware.