Apparatus for vehicle internetworks

• US 7,484,008 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Borgia/Cummins LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kaiser, William J., Gelvin, David C., Pottie, Gregory J., Girod, Lewis D., Newberg, Fredric
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs; Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US09/684,490
• Time in Patent Office: 3,037 Days
• Field of Search: 709/249, 709/217, 709/220, 709/223, 709/228, 709/229, 709/200, 370/400, 370/401, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/125 Means for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0414 in a stacked or folded configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0464 Annular ring patch
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• 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: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Vehicle internetworks provide for communications among diverse electronic devices within a vehicle, and for communications among these devices and networks external to the vehicle. The vehicle internetwork comprises specific devices, software, and protocols, and provides for security for essential vehicle functions and data communications, ease of integration of new devices and services to the vehicle internetwork, and ease of addition of services linking the vehicle to external networks such as the Internet.

Claims

1. A mobile internetwork comprising a plurality of network elements including at least one gateway node and at least one local area network coupled among at least one peripheral electronic device, wherein functions of the plurality of network elements are remotely controllable, wherein the at least one gateway node manipulates node information including configuration and security information to provide secure interoperability among the plurality of network elements and the at least one peripheral electronic device, wherein the gateway node comprises at least one interface port, at least one real-time interface processor (RTIP), and at least one application processor, wherein the at least one RTIP performs real-time operations and the at least one application processor performs high level processing functions, wherein the gateway node provides at least one of data processing, data storage, access control, protocol translation, security including service discovery and device authentication, and network control, wherein the gateway node controls remote access to the mobile internetwork in response to intermittent external communications.

2. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one local area network comprises at least one of an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) bus, an Automotive Multimedia Interface Consortium (AMI-C) bus, at least one external network, and at least one local development network.

3. The mobile internetwork of claim 2, wherein the at least one local development network accesses the at least one gateway node for the performance of application upgrades, diagnostics, and programming.

4. The mobile internetwork of claim 2, wherein the at least one local development network supports manipulation and transfer of entertainment software, wherein the entertainment software comprises at least one entertainment feature including video, audio, movies, television shows, music, games, and simulations.

5. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle bus comprises at least one legacy automotive bus including at least one of Audio Control Protocol (ACP) buses and Standard Corporate Protocol (SCP) buses.

6. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral electronic device comprises at least one device coupled to at least one OEM bus, wherein the device includes at least one of climate control devices, actuator devices, position location devices, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, communication devices, cellular telephony devices, processing devices, diagnostic devices, modems, video devices, audio devices, multimedia devices, electronic game devices, sensor devices, switch devices, and device subnetworks.

7. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral electronic device comprises at least one device coupled to at least one AMI-C bus including communication devices, position location devices, GPS devices, communication devices, position location devices, processing devices, modems, video devices, audio devices, multimedia devices, electronic game devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and wireless local area network (LAN) devices.

8. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node comprises at least one interface port that is at least one of Intelligent Data Bus (IDB-C) ports, MOST ports, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 ports, On-Board Diagnostic-II (OBD-II) ports, Bluetooth ports, Personal Communications Service (PCS) ports, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) ports, and Ethernet ports.

9. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the functions are hosted on a central network element, wherein the functions are distributed among the plurality of network elements in response to a coupling of additional peripheral electronic devices to the at least one vehicle bus.

10. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node functions as an Internet Protocol (IP) router, wherein the at least one RTIP comprises a high-speed bus controlled by at least one coupled device.

11. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one interface port has at least one function that includes at least one of a tag, a bridge, and an interface.

12. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one interface port includes at least one of wired communication ports and wireless communication ports.

13. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node includes a first gateway coupled to a second gateway.

14. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node couples a first vehicle bus and a second vehicle bus, wherein the at least one interface port couples the at least one vehicle bus to the at least one peripheral electronic device.

15. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node comprises at least one hybrid switch, wherein the at least one hybrid switch includes at least one interface port coupled among at least one switch of a first speed and at least one switch of a second speed, wherein each of the at least one switch of a first speed and the at least one switch of a second speed are coupled to at least one port.

16. The mobile internetwork of claim 15, wherein the at least one hybrid switch distributes at least one switching function among the plurality of network elements of a host vehicle.

17. The mobile internetwork of claim 15, wherein at least one application of a first type is coupled through the interface port to the at least one switch of a first speed, wherein at least one application of a second type is coupled through the interface port to the at least one switch of a second speed.

18. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node couples to at least one subnetwork, wherein the at least one subnetwork comprises at least one of sensor devices, actuator devices, wired network devices, and wireless network devices.

19. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, further comprising at least one router that couples to the Internet using at least one bus and at least one communication device, wherein the at least one bus includes at least one of an IEEE 1394 bus, a MOST bus, an IDB-C bus, and an Ethernet bus, wherein the at least one communication device includes at least one of a Bluetooth modem, an IEEE 802.11 radio, and a mobile telephone.

20. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node generates at least one hierarchy of communication alternatives in response to a determined position of a host vehicle, wherein a selected communication alternative is used to communicate with at least one local site.

21. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein data processing is controlled using at least one processing hierarchy that controls at least one event including at least one of data classifications, data transfers, data queuing, data combining, processing locations, and communications among the plurality of network elements.

22. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the functions are distributed among the plurality of network elements.

23. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the functions of the at least one gateway node include at least one of data acquisition, data processing, communication management, data routing, data security, programming, node operation, protocol translation, network management, and interfacing with at least one communication physical layer including cellular telephony, wireline telephone, satellite telephony, packet radio, microwave, optical.

24. The mobile internetwork of claim 23, wherein data processing functions of the peripheral electronic device are distributed among at least one other processor that includes a processor of the gateway node.

25. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the at least one gateway node implements at least one security method that includes at least one of confounder codes, encrypted transmissions, security policy-based communication protocols, blocking coupling with unauthorized devices, and blocking commands from at least one class of device.

26. The mobile internetwork of claim 25, wherein the at least one security method is implemented in the at least one gateway node and at least one port node.

27. The mobile internetwork of claim 25, wherein the at least one security method includes blocking denial of service attacks by decoupling at least one interface port through which unauthorized access is attempted and blocking at least one application at the interface port.

28. The mobile internetwork of claim 25, wherein the at least one security method further includes at least one of a key, a password device, and a security display.

29. The mobile internetwork of claim 25, wherein the at least one security method further includes a designated authorization port, wherein at least one connector is coupled to the designated authorization port to receive authorization for coupling a device to the plurality of network elements.

30. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements automatically organize in response to the node information, wherein the automatic organizing comprises automatically controlling data transfer, processing, and storage among the plurality of network elements.

31. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein at least one level of synchronization is supported among different subsets of the plurality of network elements, wherein a first level of synchronization is supported among a first subset of the plurality of network elements, wherein a second level of synchronization is supported among a second subset of the plurality of network elements.

32. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements are self-assembling, wherein search and acquisition modes of the at least one gateway node search for participating ones of the plurality of network elements, wherein a determination is made whether each of the participating ones of the plurality of network elements are permitted to join the internetwork using a message hierarchy, wherein the plurality of network elements are surveyed at random intervals for new nodes and missing nodes.

33. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements are self-assembled into a multi-cluster network, wherein a start node is selected as a base node, wherein the base node communicates an assembly packet throughout the mobile internetwork, wherein information of the assembly packet alternates with each successive communication between directing a node to become a base node of a particular cluster number and directing a node to become a remote node of a particular cluster number, wherein the particular cluster number is incrementally changed with each successive communication of the assembly packet.

34. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the gateway node performs service discovery that comprises synchronizing the gateway node, authenticating the gateway node, determining at least one communication mode for the gateway node, and informing the gateway node of resources available among the plurality of network elements.

35. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein data is collected by the gateway node, wherein at least one operation is performed on the data in response to parameters established by a user, the at least one operation including at least one of classification, routing, processing, storing, and fusing.

36. The mobile internetwork of claim 35, wherein the data is vehicle diagnostic data, wherein diagnostic operations are performed in response to the data.

37. The mobile internetwork of claim 35, wherein routing comprises selecting at least one communication type and at least one communication coupling for use in routing the collected data.

38. The mobile internetwork of claim 35, wherein routing comprises selecting at least one data type for routing, selecting at least one of the plurality of network elements to which to route the selected data, selecting at least one route to the selected network element, and routing the selected at least one data type to the selected at least one of the plurality of network elements.

39. The mobile internetwork of claim 35, wherein processing comprises selecting at least one data type for processing, selecting at least one processing type, selecting at least one of the network elements to perform the selected processing type, and transferring data of the selected data type to the selected network elements using at least one route through the network.

40. The mobile internetwork of claim 39, wherein data processed in a plurality of nodes is aggregated for further processing by other nodes.

41. The mobile internetwork of claim 39, wherein data processed by the gateway node is aggregated for reporting to at least one user.

42. The mobile internetwork of claim 35, wherein storing comprises selecting at least one data type for storage, selecting at least one storage type, selecting at least one of the network elements to perform the selected storage type, and transferring data of the selected data type to the selected network elements using at least one route through the plurality of network elements.

43. The mobile internetwork of claim 35, wherein using comprises a first node transmitting at least one query request to at least one other node, wherein the first node collects data from the at least one other node in response to the at least one query request, and processes the collected data.

44. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements comprise a plurality of application programming interfaces (APIs), wherein the APIs include APIs for at least one of application support, database services, routing, security, network management, and deployment.

45. The mobile internetwork of claim 44, wherein the APIs for application support, database services, and routing are hosted on at least one gateway node, wherein the APIs for security, network management, and deployment are shared among at least one other gateway node and at least one port node.

46. The mobile internetwork of claim 44, wherein the plurality of APIs are layered, wherein the plurality of APIs enable distributed resource management by providing network resource information among the plurality of network elements, wherein information transfer among the plurality of network elements is controlled using a synchronism hierarchy established in response to the network resource information.

47. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements support atomic transaction methods.

48. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the gateway node includes sensing, processing, communications, and storage devices supporting a plurality of processing and protocol layers.

49. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the gateway node supports at least one of wireless communication modes, wired communication modes, and hybrid wired and wireless communication modes.

50. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the gateway node is coupled to the at least one remote computer using the plurality of network elements, wherein the plurality of network elements includes at least one of at least one station gateway, at least one server, at least one repeater, at least one interrogator, and at least one network, wherein the at least one network includes wired networks, wireless networks, and hybrid wired and wireless networks.

51. The mobile internetwork of claim 50, wherein the at least one network comprises at least one of the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks, metropolitan area networks, and information service stations.

52. The mobile internetwork of claim 50, wherein the plurality of network elements provides remote accessibility using World Wide Web-based tools to data, code, control, and security functions, wherein data includes signals, wherein code includes signal processing, decision support, and database elements, and wherein control includes operation of the plurality of network elements.

53. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements comprise a plurality of network element sets, wherein the plurality of network element sets are layered.

54. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the gateway node comprises a plurality of node types that includes at least one node of a first type and at least one node of a second type, wherein a first network having a first node density is assembled using the at least one node of a first type, wherein a second network having a second node density is assembled using the at least one node of a second type, wherein the second network is overlaid onto the first network.

55. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein software and data are transferable among the plurality of network elements, wherein the transfer is remotely controllable, wherein the software and the data are downloadable from at least one location selected from a group consisting of storage devices of the plurality of network elements, external storage devices, and remote storage devices.

56. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements are managed as a distributed and active database using a distributed resource management protocol, wherein the plurality of network elements are reused among different applications, wherein the network elements are used in multiple classes of applications.

57. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, further comprising at least one database, wherein the at least one database includes at least one of storage devices coupled to at least one of the plurality of network elements and storage devices of the gateway node.

58. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein at least one coupling among the gateway node and at least one external network supports data transfer among the gateway node of a host vehicle, wherein the data includes vehicle service data, diagnostic data, maintenance history data, security data, electronic mail, and entertainment software.

59. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein at least one coupling among the at least one peripheral electronic device and at least one external network supports data transfer among the gateway node of a host vehicle, wherein the data includes vehicle service data, diagnostic data, maintenance history data, security data, electronic mail, and entertainment software.

60. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the gateway node is coupled to at least one diagnostic device of a host vehicle.

61. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein the gateway node manipulates at least one of vehicle assembly data, vehicle maintenance data, vehicle diagnostics data, vehicle position data, vehicle operations profile data, fleet management data, fleet reliability analysis data, security system data, entertainment system data, and targeted advertising data.

62. The mobile internetwork of claim 1, wherein at least one subset of the plurality of network elements comprise at least one sensor network, wherein the at least one subset further includes at least one sensor node, at least one gateway station, at least one server, at least one gateway network, and at least one client computer hosting a World Wide Web browser, wherein the at least one node is configured as the at least one gateway station and the at least one sensor node.

63. The mobile internetwork of claim 62, wherein the at least one sensor node is coupled among a monitored environment and the at least one client computer, wherein functions of the at least one sensor node are remotely controllable using the at least one client computer, wherein the at least one sensor node provides the node information including node resource cost and message priority to the plurality of network elements, wherein data processing is distributed among the plurality of network elements in response to the node information.

64. The mobile internetwork of claim 62, wherein at least one redundant communication pathway is established among the plurality of network elements.

65. The mobile internetwork of claim 62, wherein the at least one gateway station performs at least one of protocol translation, sensor network management, management of transmissions from a remote user, and interfacing with at least one communication physical layer including wired local area networks, packet radio, microwave, optical, wireline telephony, cellular telephony, and satellite telephony.

66. The mobile internetwork of claim 62, wherein the at least one gateway network includes wired networks, wireless networks, and hybrid wired and wireless networks, wherein the at least one gateway network comprises at least one of the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks, metropolitan area networks, and information service stations.

67. A network comprising a plurality of network elements including:

a gateway node;

a local area network coupled to the gateway node;

at least one peripheral electronic device coupled for communication with the gateway node using the local area network; and

wherein;

the gateway node comprises at least one interface port, at least one real-time interface processor (RTIP), and at least one application processor;

the at least one RTIP performs real-time operations;

the at least one application processor performs high level processing functions; and

the at least one RTIP is coupled between the at least one interface port and the at least one application processor.

68. The network of claim 67, wherein:

data is collected by the gateway node using the at least one interface port; and

the at least one RTIP performs processing to route the data to one of the plurality of network elements.

69. The network of claim 67, wherein the at least one interface port is configured to interface with at least one communication physical layer.

70. The network of claim 67, wherein the at least one RTIP further routes communications received at the at least one interface port to the at least one application processor.

71. The network of claim 67, further comprising a bus coupled to the gateway node through the at least one interface port, wherein the at least one application processor hosts an application associated with the bus.

72. The network of claim 71, wherein:

the at least one peripheral electronic device is coupled to the bus; and

the at least one RTIP passes IP packets through the gateway node under control of the at least one peripheral electronic device.

73. The network of claim 67, wherein the at least one application processor is operable to access raw data from the at least one RTIP.

74. The network of claim 67, wherein the real-time operations of the at least one RTIP run below an operating system executed on the at least one application processor.

75. A method node configured to couple to a plurality of network elements, wherein the plurality of network elements includes a local area network and at least one peripheral electronic device coupled to the local area network, the gateway node comprising:

at least one interface port to receive data packets;

at least one real-time processor operable to configured to perform real-time operations on the data packets; and

at least one application processor configured to perform high level processing functions, wherein the at least one real-time interface processor is coupled between the at least one interface port and the at least one application processor.