Methods and apparatus for providing access to vehicle electronic systems

• US 20080120366A1
• 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, Moody, John, Dapp, Michael C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

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 the components include at least one mission workflow component and at least one embedded system interface component, and wherein the method comprises acts of:

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

determining, at the at least one mission workflow component, 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 via the at least one embedded system interface component.

2. 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.

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 system external to the vehicle from which the information was received.

4. 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.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the system external to the vehicle is a first external system and wherein the method further comprises an act of

adding an additional component to the interface module to enable the interface module to process information from a second external system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

caching information received from the system external to the vehicle;

determining if an interruption in a connection between the interface module and the system external to the vehicle has occurred; and

when it is determined that an interruption in the connection has occurred, providing the cached information to the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

7. An interface module for providing access to a plurality of embedded systems in a vehicle comprising:

an internal network configured to receive information from a system external to the vehicle; and

a plurality of components that communicate via the internal network, the plurality of components comprising at least one mission workflow component configured to determine at least one of the plurality of embedded systems to which to provide the information and at least one embedded system interface component configured to provide the information from the interface module to the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

8. The interface module of claim 7, wherein the at least one mission workflow component determines 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 7, wherein the at least one mission workflow component 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.

10. The interface module of claim 7, wherein the at least one embedded systems interface component transforms the information to a format usable by the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

11. The interface module of claim 7, wherein the at least one mission workflow component:

caches information received from the system external to the vehicle;

determines if an interruption in a connection between the interface module and the system external to the vehicle has occurred; and

when it is determined that an interruption in the connection has occurred, provides the cached information to the at least one of the plurality of embedded systems.

12. 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 the components include at least one mission workflow component and at least one embedded system interface component, and wherein the method comprises acts of:

receiving, via the at least one embedded system interface component, information from at least one of the plurality of embedded systems;

determining, at the at least one mission workflow component, 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.

13. The method of claim 12, 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 12, 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 12, 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. The method of claim 12, wherein the system external to the vehicle is a first external system and wherein the method further comprises an act of

adding an additional component to the interface module to enable the interface module to send information to a second external system.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising acts of:

caching information received from at least one of the plurality of embedded systems;

determining if an interruption in a connection between the interface module and the system external to the vehicle has occurred; and

when it is determined that an interruption in the connection has occurred, providing the cached information to the system external to the vehicle.

18. 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 the components include at least one mission workflow component and at least one embedded system interface component, 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.

19. The system of claim 18, 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.

20. The system of claim 18, 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.

21. The system of claim 18, 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.