Methods and apparatus for interfacing external systems with vehicle electronic systems

• US 20080119979A1
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Donovan, Kenneth B., Impson, Jeremy, Ciarletta, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/32
• 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

One embodiment is directed to providing access between external systems and embedded vehicle electronic systems. That is, an interface module may receive information from a system external to the vehicle, determine an embedded system of the vehicle to which to provide the information, and provide the information to the embedded system. Similarly, the interface module may receive information a embedded electronic systems of a vehicle, determine a system external the vehicle to which to provide the information, and provide the information to the external system.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to a plurality of embedded systems in a vehicle via an interface module having an internal network and a plurality of components that communicate via the internal network, wherein each of the plurality of components is of a defined type, wherein each type of component has a predefined interface, wherein each component implements the predefined interface for its respective type, and wherein the method comprises acts of:

receiving, at the interface module, information from a system external to the vehicle;

determining, at the interface module, at least one of the plurality embedded systems to which to provide the information; and

providing the information from the interface module to the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined type of a component is at least one of the group comprising:

a utility component;

an external interface component;

a platform policy component;

a mission workflow component; and

a legacy interface component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information comprises an act of determining the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information based on a type of the information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information comprises an act of determining the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information based on a type of the system external to the vehicle from which the information was received.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of providing the information from the interface module to the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems further comprises an act of transforming the information to a format usable by the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

6. An interface module that provides access to a plurality of embedded systems in a vehicle comprising:

an internal network that receives information from a system external to the vehicle; and

a plurality of components that communicate via the internal network and are configured to determine at least one of the plurality embedded systems to which to provide the information and provided the information from the interface module to the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems, wherein each of the plurality of components is of a defined type, wherein each type of component has a predefined interface, wherein each component implements the predefined interface for its respective type.

7. The interface module of claim 6, wherein the defined type of a component is at least one of the group comprising:

a utility component;

an external interface component;

a platform policy component;

a mission workflow component; and

a legacy interface component.

8. The interface module of claim 6, wherein at least some of the plurality of components determine the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information based on a type of the information.

9. The interface module of claim 6, wherein at least some of the plurality of components determine the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information based on a type of the system external to the vehicle from which the information was received.

10. The interface module of claim 6, wherein at least some of the plurality of components transform the information to a format usable by the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

11. A method of providing access to a plurality of embedded systems in a vehicle via an interface module having an internal network and a plurality of components that communicate via the internal network, wherein each of the plurality of components is of a defined type, wherein each type of component has a predefined interface, wherein each component implements the predefined interface for its respective type, and wherein the method comprises acts of:

receiving, at the interface module, information from at least one of the plurality of embedded systems;

determining, at the interface module, at least one system external to the vehicle to which to provide the information; and

providing the information from the interface module to the at least one system external to the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the defined type of a component is at least one of the group comprising:

a utility component;

an external interface component;

a platform policy component;

a mission workflow component; and

a legacy interface component.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of determining at least one system external to the vehicle to which to provide the information comprises an act of determining the at least one system external to the vehicle to which to provide the information based on a type of the information.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the act of determining at least one system external to the vehicle to which to provide the information comprises an act of determining the at least one system external to the vehicle to which to provide the information based on a type of the system external to the vehicle from which the information was received.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of providing the information from the interface module to the at least one system external to the vehicle further comprises an act of transforming the information to a format usable by the at least one system external to the vehicle.

16. A system for use in a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of embedded electronic systems in a vehicle; and

an interface module having an internal network and a plurality of components that communicate via the internal network, wherein each of the plurality of components is of a defined type, wherein each type of component has a predefined interface, wherein each component implements the predefined interface for its respective type, wherein the interface module receives information from a system external to the vehicle, determines at least one of the plurality embedded systems to which to provide the information, and provides the information to the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface module determines the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information based on a type of the information.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface module determines the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information based on a type of the system external to the vehicle from which the information was received.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface module determines the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information based on a security classification of the information.