U.S. patent application number 14/875411 was filed with the patent office on 2016-04-14 for vehicle middleware.
The applicant listed for this patent is AutoConnect Holdings LLC. Invention is credited to Christopher P. Ricci, Douglas W. Swartz.
Application Number | 20160103980 14/875411 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48430173 |
Filed Date | 2016-04-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160103980 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ricci; Christopher P. ; et
al. |
April 14, 2016 |
VEHICLE MIDDLEWARE
Abstract
The present disclosure describes a vehicle implementing one or
more processing modules. These modules are configured to connect
and interface with the various buses in the vehicle, where the
various buses are connected with the various components of the
vehicle to facilitate information transfer among the vehicle
components. Each processing module is further modularized with the
ability to add and replace other functional modules now or in the
future. These functional modules can themselves act as distinct
vehicle components. Each processing modules may hand-off processing
to other modules depending on its health, processing load, or by
third-party control. Thus, the plurality of processing modules
helps to implement a middleware point of control to the vehicle
with redundancy in processing and safety and security awareness in
their applications.
Inventors: |
Ricci; Christopher P.;
(Saratoga, CA) ; Swartz; Douglas W.; (Wheat Ridge,
CO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AutoConnect Holdings LLC |
Wellesley |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
48430173 |
Appl. No.: |
14/875411 |
Filed: |
October 5, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13679476 |
Nov 16, 2012 |
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14875411 |
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61560509 |
Nov 16, 2011 |
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61637164 |
Apr 23, 2012 |
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61646747 |
May 14, 2012 |
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61653275 |
May 30, 2012 |
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61653264 |
May 30, 2012 |
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61653563 |
May 31, 2012 |
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61663335 |
Jun 22, 2012 |
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61672483 |
Jul 17, 2012 |
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61714016 |
Oct 15, 2012 |
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61715699 |
Oct 18, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
726/28 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60W 30/182 20130101;
G08G 1/096783 20130101; B60K 2370/21 20190501; B60W 50/0098
20130101; G06F 3/017 20130101; G08G 1/096844 20130101; H04W 4/50
20180201; G06Q 40/08 20130101; H04N 21/4331 20130101; B60R 16/037
20130101; B60W 2540/22 20130101; B60W 2540/221 20200201; B60W
2555/60 20200201; G08G 1/143 20130101; H04L 67/02 20130101; B60K
2370/566 20190501; G06F 21/629 20130101; G08G 1/0112 20130101; G06F
3/0481 20130101; G08G 1/0133 20130101; B60K 37/00 20130101; B60W
50/08 20130101; H04W 4/40 20180201; G08G 1/096827 20130101; B60W
2540/26 20130101; G06K 9/00355 20130101; G06Q 50/26 20130101; B60R
21/01512 20141001; G07C 5/0833 20130101; H04W 8/22 20130101; B60W
2540/043 20200201; G06F 21/10 20130101; G06Q 30/0265 20130101; G08G
1/012 20130101; G08G 1/017 20130101; G08G 1/16 20130101; H04L 67/12
20130101; H04W 84/005 20130101; G06F 3/0488 20130101; G06F 9/54
20130101; G06F 16/29 20190101; G08G 1/0137 20130101; G02B 27/0101
20130101; G06F 8/61 20130101; G06F 21/335 20130101; G06F 2221/0724
20130101; G07C 5/008 20130101; G07C 5/02 20130101; B60K 2370/146
20190501; B60K 2370/1464 20190501; B60W 2040/0881 20130101; G06F
17/00 20130101; B60K 2370/81 20190501; B60W 40/04 20130101; G06F
9/44505 20130101; G06F 11/3065 20130101; H04L 41/14 20130101; B60K
2370/11 20190501; G08G 1/0141 20130101; G01S 19/13 20130101; G06K
9/00832 20130101; G08C 19/00 20130101; G08G 1/09 20130101; G07C
5/0825 20130101; H04N 21/41422 20130101; B60K 2370/1476 20190501;
B60W 40/09 20130101; G06F 16/24 20190101; H04W 4/48 20180201; H04W
4/90 20180201; B60K 2370/166 20190501; B60K 2370/5899 20190501;
H04L 67/125 20130101; G01C 21/20 20130101; G06F 3/04817 20130101;
G06F 3/04847 20130101; G06F 13/364 20130101; B60K 37/02 20130101;
G06F 11/3013 20130101; G08G 1/096716 20130101; H04W 84/12 20130101;
G06F 3/0482 20130101; G06F 11/328 20130101; G06F 3/04842 20130101;
G06F 2203/04808 20130101; G06N 5/048 20130101; G06T 19/006
20130101; G07C 5/006 20130101; B60K 2370/1438 20190501; G06F 21/121
20130101; H04L 51/36 20130101; G06F 3/0484 20130101; G06K
2009/00939 20130101; G08G 1/0116 20130101; B60K 2370/1472 20190501;
G06F 3/04883 20130101; G08G 1/0129 20130101; G08G 1/096725
20130101; G08G 1/096775 20130101; B60K 37/06 20130101; G06F 11/2023
20130101; B60K 2370/691 20190501; B60R 7/04 20130101; G06K 9/00362
20130101; G07C 5/08 20130101; G07C 5/085 20130101; G08G 1/096791
20130101; H04L 63/10 20130101; G06F 3/0486 20130101; G06N 5/02
20130101; B60K 2370/164 20190501; B60W 2040/0872 20130101; B60K
35/00 20130101; B60K 2370/5894 20190501; B60W 40/08 20130101; B60W
2050/0095 20130101; G06F 13/14 20130101; H04N 21/482 20130101; H04W
4/80 20180201 |
International
Class: |
G06F 21/12 20060101
G06F021/12; G06F 21/62 20060101 G06F021/62; H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06; G06F 11/32 20060101 G06F011/32; H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; G06F 21/33 20060101 G06F021/33; G06F 11/30 20060101
G06F011/30 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A vehicle, comprising: a non-transient, tangible computer
readable memory; a computational module selector to identify and
select a computational module from among plural computation modules
in communication with the computational module selector to perform
a selected task, operation, and/or function, the selected task,
operation, and/or function having performance requirements, wherein
each of the plural computation modules has processing capabilities
and operating system capabilities; wherein at least a pair of the
plural computation modules has non-identical processing
capabilities wherein one of the pair has a cellular capability and
the other of the pair does not have a cellular capability; a
network selector module to select one of plural communication
networks local to the vehicle for transmitting a selected signal
and wherein the network selector module selects one of plural
communication networks local to the vehicle for transmitting a
selected signal based on one or more of network/node status,
signal/noise ratio, type of signal, available and/or unavailable
bandwidth, network performance parameter(s), and quality of
service, wherein the network selector module configures the
selected signal in accordance with the selected network's
transmission protocol; wherein the computational module selector
selects a computational module from among the plural computation
modules that has processing capabilities that satisfy the
performance requirements of the selected task, operation, and/or
function; wherein each of the computational module selector,
computation modules and the network selector module are stored in
the non-transient, tangible computer readable memory.
22. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a plurality of processing modules, a first processing module being
in an active mode whereby the first processing module is in primary
control of at least most vehicle functions and a second processing
module being in a standby mode whereby the second processing module
is ready to assume primary control of at least most vehicle
functions, wherein the first and second processing modules are in
wireless communication with one another, and wherein a state of the
second processing module is maintained substantially in
synchronicity with a state of the first processing module to a
enable a stateful failover from the first processing module to the
second processing module, wherein each of the afore-mentioned
modules are stored in a non-transient, tangible computer readable
memory.
23. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
an arbitration module to arbitrate hand-off conflicts between
duplicated first and second processing modules and wherein the
arbitration module selects one of the first and second processing
modules to currently possess and/or own a token, the token
indicating which processing module is an active processing module
and/or which processing module is a standby processing module,
wherein each of the afore-mentioned modules are stored in a
non-transient, tangible computer readable memory.
24. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a health check module to determine a corresponding state of health
of each of the duplicated first and second processing modules to
perform at least one of critical and non-critical tasks, functions,
and operations and wherein the health check module performs a check
and/or test, in response to an internally generated interrupt
and/or request to determine a selected processing module's ability
to perform critical and/or non-critical vehicle tasks, functions,
and/or operations, assign a score to the selected processing module
based on the check and/or test results, and compare the score to
one or more thresholds and/or to a score of a different processing
module to determine a state of health to determine a state of
health of the selected processing module, wherein each of the
afore-mentioned modules are stored in a non-transient, tangible
computer readable memory.
25. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a displayed object movement module to move displayed objects from a
source input/output system to a target input/output system, the
source and target input/output systems corresponding to different
vehicle occupants and wherein the displayed object movement module
selects the target input/output system from among plural
input/output systems on board the vehicle based on input from a
user of the source input/output system, wherein each of the
afore-mentioned modules are stored in a non-transient, tangible
computer readable memory.
26. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a media filter module to apply a selected rule to filter third
party sourced signals received by a vehicle processing module for
presentation to a vehicle occupant via a corresponding input/output
system and wherein the selected rule is one or more of a whitelist,
blacklist, user preference, sensed occupant context, and/or
governing federal, state, provincial, and/or local law and/or
regulation applicable to a current sensed spatial location of the
vehicle, wherein each of the afore-mentioned modules are stored in
a non-transient, tangible computer readable memory.
27. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a diagnostic module to receive a warning and/or error signal from a
vehicle component and select a destination for the signal, the
possible destinations including a vehicle input/output system to
present the warning and/or error to a vehicle occupant, an
emergency service provider, an emergency responder, and a remotely
located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the warning
and/or error signal and wherein the diagnostic module provides the
warning and/or error signal to the vehicle occupant and
interactively communicates a likely cause of the warning and/or
error signal to the occupant and receives a command from the
occupant to contact one or more of an emergency service provider,
an emergency responder, and a remotely located diagnostic service,
wherein each of the afore-mentioned modules are stored in a
non-transient, tangible computer readable memory.
28. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a remote control module to receive a request from a remote source
to command a vehicle function, authenticate the requestor, and,
when successfully authenticated and when privileged to request the
performance of the vehicle function, execute or cause execution of
the request and wherein the remote control module is associated
with one or more of the vehicle owner, a law enforcement authority,
a lender associated with a loan having the vehicle as collateral,
and a vehicle manufacturer and wherein the requested vehicle
function is executed or caused to be executed notwithstanding a
contrary command from the vehicle operator, wherein each of the
afore-mentioned modules are stored in a non-transient, tangible
computer readable memory.
29. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a media controller module to receive a media stream from a remote
node, identify which of a plurality of vehicle input/output systems
are disabled due to operator command and/or as a result of a rule,
and, when enabled, provide the media stream to an input/output
system associated with an associated vehicle occupant and wherein
the media controller module, in a dependent mode, provides common
content synchronously to each of the input/output systems and, in
an independent mode, provides different content to different ones
of the input/output systems, wherein each of the afore-mentioned
modules are stored in a non-transient, tangible computer readable
memory.
30. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
an installation supervisor module to determine, for a newly
installed software and/or hardware and/or other component, whether
the newly installed component satisfies defined functional and/or
source or reuse requirements and/or restrictions for the component
and/or license restrictions, and, when satisfied, create data
structures in the component and/or a memory in the vehicle to bind
the component to the current vehicle and thereby prevent the
component from communicating with a processing module in a
different vehicle and wherein the newly installed software and/or
hardware and/or other component is one or more of an on-board
sensor, a processing module or component thereof, a software
application, a circuit board, an expansion module or component
thereof, a critical or non-critical device, and a cellular upgrade
module, wherein each of the afore-mentioned modules are stored in a
non-transient, tangible computer readable memory.
31. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the plural computational
modules comprise one or more vehicle processing devices and one or
more occupant computational devices, the one or more occupant
computational devices comprising one or more of a mobile phone,
personal digital assistant, tablet computer, and laptop
computer.
32. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the plural computational
modules comprise multiple software applications corresponding to
different versions, releases, and/or vendors of a common type of
software application.
33. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a network security module to isolate a component encountering a
security breach and/or isolate a primary processing module from one
or more other components in a local vehicle network and wherein the
network security module filters and/or prohibits communications
between the isolated one of the component and/or processing module
with other network components, wherein each of the afore-mentioned
modules are stored in a non-transient, tangible computer readable
memory.
34. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a network controller module to cache automatically streaming media
in response to a vehicle state change, function, and/or operation
and wherein the network controller module caches automatically
streaming media in response to the vehicle state changing from a
parked state to an unparked state, wherein the computational module
selector continuously checks if excess processing power is
available from at least among the plural computation modules, an
expansion module and an external computational device, whereby the
selected task, operation and/or function is off-loaded, wherein
each of the afore-mentioned modules are stored in a non-transient,
tangible computer readable memory.
35. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a unified communications presence reporting module to determine
whether a vehicle occupant is present and/or by what communication
channel to contact the occupant based on a requirement of a law
applicable to a current location of the vehicle and wherein the
unified communications presence reporting module determines that
the vehicle occupant is the operator of the vehicle and that the
vehicle operator is not present by a selected communication channel
when the vehicle is in motion, wherein each of the afore-mentioned
modules are stored in a non-transient, tangible computer readable
memory.
36. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a social networking module to enable processing modules of
different vehicles to wirelessly connect to exchange vehicle
information, wherein each of the afore-mentioned modules are stored
in a non-transient, tangible computer readable memory.
37. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein at least one of the plural
computation modules is a software application of an on board or
portable device located physically within the vehicle.
38. The vehicle of claim 37, wherein the selected task, operation,
and/or function is running a software application, wherein the
computational module selector selects a computational module from
among the plural computation modules based on operating system
capabilities that satisfy the software application operating system
performance requirements.
39. The vehicle of claim 38, wherein the vehicle further comprises
a display, wherein the software application is displayed on the
display.
40. The vehicle of claim 39, wherein the display is configured to
allow the user to interact with the software application.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a continuation of and claims
priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/679,476, filed Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Middleware," which claims the benefits
of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/560,509, filed Nov. 16,
2011; 61/637,164, filed Apr. 23, 2012; and 61/663,335, filed Jun.
22, 2012, all entitled "COMPLETE VEHICLE ECOSYSTEM", 61/646,747,
filed on May 14, 2012, entitled "Branding of Electrically Propelled
Vehicles Via the Generation of Specific Operating Sounds";
61/653,275, filed on May 30, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Application
Store for Console"; 61/653,264, filed on May 30, 2012, entitled
"Control of Device Features Based on Vehicle State"; 61/653,563,
filed on May 31, 2012, entitled "Complete Vehicle Ecosystem";
61/672,483, filed on Jul. 17, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Climate
Control"; 61/714,016, filed on Oct. 15, 2012, entitled "Vehicle
Middleware;" and 61/715,699, filed on Oct. 18, 2012, entitled
"Vehicle Middleware;" each of which is incorporated herein by this
reference in its entirety.
[0002] Cross reference is made to U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/420,236, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled, "Configurable Vehicle
Console"; Ser. No. 13/420,240, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled
"Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console"; Ser. No. 13/462,593,
filed on May 2, 2012, entitled "Configurable Dash Display"; Ser.
No. 13/462,596, filed on May 2, 2012, entitled "Configurable
Heads-Up Dash Display"; Ser. No. 13/679,459, filed on Nov. 16,
2012, entitled "Vehicle Comprising Multi-Operating System"; Ser.
No. 13/679,234, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Gesture
Recognition for On-Board Display"; Ser. No. 13/679,412, filed on
Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Application Store for Console";
Ser. No. 13/679,857, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Sharing
Applications/Media Between Car and Phone (Hydroid)"; Ser. No.
13/679,878, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "In-Cloud Connection
for Car Multimedia"; Ser. No. 13/679,875, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,
entitled "Music Streaming"; Ser. No. 13/679,676, filed on Nov. 16,
2012, entitled "Control of Device Features Based on Vehicle State";
Ser. No. 13/678,673, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Insurance
Tracking"; Ser. No. 13/678,691, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Law Breaking/Behavior Sensor"; Ser. No. 13/678,699, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Etiquette Suggestion"; Ser. No. 13/678,710,
filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Parking Space Finder Based on
Parking Meter Data"; Ser. No. 13/678,722, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,
entitled "Parking Meter Expired Alert"; Ser. No. 13/678,726, filed
on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Object Sensing (Pedestrian
Avoidance/Accident Avoidance)"; Ser. No. 13/678,735, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Proximity Warning Relative to Other Cars"; Ser.
No. 13/678,745, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Street Side
Sensors"; Ser. No. 13/678,753, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Car Location"; Ser. No. 13/679,441, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,
entitled "Universal Bus in the Car"; Ser. No. 13/679,864, filed on
Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Mobile Hot Spot/Router/Application Share
Site or Network"; Ser. No. 13/679,815, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,
entitled "Universal Console Chassis for the Car"; Ser. No.
13/679,306, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Method and System for
Vehicle Data Collection Regarding Traffic"; Ser. No. 13/679,369,
filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Method and System for Vehicle
Data Collection"; Ser. No. 13/679,680, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,
entitled "Communications Based on Vehicle Diagnostics and
Indications"; Ser. No. 13/679,443, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Method and System for Maintaining and Reporting Vehicle Occupant
Information"; Ser. No. 13/678,762, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Behavioral Tracking and Vehicle Applications"; Ser. No.
13/840,240, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, entitled "Controller Area
Network Bus"; Ser. No. 13/678,773, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Location Information Exchange Between Vehicle and Device"; Ser.
No. 13/679,887, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "In Car
Communication Between Devices"; Ser. No. 13/679,842, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Configurable Hardware Unit for Car Systems";
Ser. No. 13/679,204, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Feature
Recognition for Configuring a Vehicle Console and Associated
Devices"; Ser. No. 13/679,350, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Configurable Vehicle Console"; Ser. No. 13/679,358, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Configurable Dash Display"; Ser. No.
13/679,363, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Configurable Heads-Up
Dash Display"; and Ser. No. 13/679,368, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,
entitled "Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console". The entire
disclosures of the applications listed above are hereby
incorporated by reference, in their entirety, for all that they
teach and for all purposes.
FIELD
[0003] The disclosure relates generally to vehicle middleware
systems and particularly to vehicle middleware systems for drivers
and third-parties.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Modern vehicles use a number of communication systems and/or
networks. Each of these communication systems and/or networks may
have a bus structure that is open or proprietary. Each of these
buses may also be specifically designed to work in a vehicle or may
be available as a general communication protocol. These
communication systems and/or networks connect the various
individual components of the vehicles through their respective
buses. Examples of proprietary vehicle bus architecture include
Controller Area Network (CAN) Bus, Local Interconnect Network (LIN)
Bus, and the various Original Equipment manufacturer (OEM) Bus
among others. Examples of open and general bus architecture include
wired or wireless Ethernet and Low-Voltage Differential Signaling
(LVDS) among others.
[0005] Taking the CAN bus for example, the CAN bus is a serial
network developed primarily for use with automotive applications.
CAN bus allows devices and microcontrollers in a vehicle to
communicate with each other without a host computer.
[0006] The CAN protocol allows various devices and microcontrollers
to be connected to a single CAN bus. According to the protocol,
communication along the CAN bus is message-based to allow messages
and data to be sent from one connected device to another.
[0007] To facilitate communication on the CAN bus without the need
of a host computer, CAN features an arbitration-free transmission
mechanism. A CAN transmission includes an arbitration field
(message ID) representing the priority of the message being
transmitted. A dominant bit (`0`) indicates a higher priority than
a recessive bit (`1`). For example, in a hypothetical two-bit ID
CAN network, a device sending a `10` ID will have priority over a
device sending a `11` ID on the CAN bus. In this example, both
devices have a recessive bit in the first bit; however, the first
device has a dominant second bit which could be used to arbitrate
against a recessive second bit in the second device. The second
device will back-off from transmitting over the bus upon this
determination in favor of the second device and will attempt to
retransmit a few clock cycles after the first device has finished
transmitting. It is recognized that each message ID transmitted
must be unique over the CAN bus for this arbitration-free
transmission mechanism. According to the CAN specification,
standard CAN (version 2.0A) uses 11-bit IDs, and extended CAN
(version 2.0B) uses 29-bit IDs.
[0008] The CAN specification (ISO 11898) further described two
types of CAN buses, the high-speed CAN bus (ISO 11898-2) (such as
for engine, suspension, and transmission controllers and safety
equipment) and the low-speed CAN bus (ISO 11898-3) (such as for
less critical components including non-safety sensors). The
high-speed CAN bus is designed to carry data at high speed (up to 1
Mbit/s in some implementation). The low-speed CAN bus is designed
to carry data at a lower speed (up to 125 Kbit/s in some
implementation) but is more fault tolerant than the high-speed CAN
bus. Further, the low-speed CAN bus can serves as a back-up for the
high-speed CAN bus in case there is a failure to the high-speed CAN
bus.
[0009] As usage of the CAN standard evolves, many vehicles and
systems implementing CAN are using both a high-speed and a
low-speed CAN bus in parallel. The high-speed CAN bus carries
information that is vital for vehicle operation or safety and is
delivered to various part of the vehicle or system in substantially
real time. For example, the high-speed CAN bus would be used in a
situation where an airbag deploys. When sensors in the bumper or at
the front of the vehicle indicate that the vehicle has been
involved in a frontal collision, the sensors can send priority
information via the high-speed CAN bus to the airbag deployment
unit to deploy the airbag. The low-speed CAN bus would be used for
other less critical applications.
[0010] A number of extensions have been proposed and used to extend
the capabilities of the various bus architectures. For example,
On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) adds support for requesting data from
vehicle components for diagnostics purposes using Parameter
Identifiers (PIDs). While OBD is designed to work with CAN bus, OBD
can be implemented to work with other general and/or OEM specific
buses. Further, specific vehicle components such as the Engine
Control Unit (ECU), Transmission Control Unit (TCU), Anti-lock
Braking System (ABS), and generally Body Control Modules (BCMs) can
have specific protocol extensions to work with the various bus
architectures. Further, extensions to the bus architectures are
needed to support carrying information regarding various
environmental type issues such as emissions information to comply
with various government regulation mandates.
[0011] Vehicles, particularly passenger vehicles, are evolving
rapidly with emerging safety, entertainment, and communication
technologies. Existing vehicle bus protocols, which are largely
designed for safety, are generally unsuitable for other non-safety
communications, due to low bus bandwidth and transmission speed.
There are therefore various needs in the art including improving
information flow between vehicle components, leveraging the various
communication systems and/or networks in the art to enhance vehicle
safety, data security, and/or data processing, and providing remote
authorized third party (i.e. peace officers, vehicle manufacturers,
vehicle security services, and owners) access to a vehicle's
functions and state information while maintaining security against
unauthorized parties and components.
SUMMARY
[0012] These and other needs are addressed by the various aspects,
embodiments, and/or configurations of the present disclosure. The
present disclosure is directed to a vehicle having a variety of
networking and other capabilities.
[0013] The vehicle can include one or more of:
[0014] (a) a plurality of processing modules, a first processing
module being in an active mode whereby the first processing module
is in primary control of at least most vehicle functions and a
second processing module being in a standby mode whereby the second
processing module is ready to assume primary control of at least
most vehicle functions;
[0015] (b) an arbitration module to arbitrate hand-off conflicts
between duplicated first and second processing modules;
[0016] (c) a health check module to determine a corresponding state
of health of each of the duplicated first and second processing
modules to perform at least one of critical and non-critical tasks,
functions, and operations;
[0017] (d) a displayed object movement module to move displayed
objects from a source input/output system to a target input/output
system, the source and target input/output systems corresponding to
different vehicle occupants;
[0018] (e) a media filter to apply a selected rule to filter third
party sourced signals received by a vehicle processing module for
presentation to a vehicle occupant via a corresponding input/output
system;
[0019] (f) a network selector to select one of plural communication
networks local to the vehicle for transmitting a selected
signal;
[0020] (g) a diagnostic module to receive a warning and/or error
signal from a vehicle component and select a destination for the
signal, the possible destinations including a vehicle input/output
system to present the warning and/or error to a vehicle occupant,
an emergency service provider, an emergency responder, and a
remotely located diagnostic service to diagnose a cause of the
warning and/or error signal;
[0021] (h) a remote control module to receive a request from a
remote source to command a vehicle function, authenticate the
requestor, and, when successfully authenticated and when privileged
to request the performance of the vehicle function, execute or
cause execution of the request;
[0022] (i) a media controller to receive a media stream from a
remote node, identify which of a plurality of vehicle input/output
systems are disabled due to operator command and/or as a result of
a rule, and, when enabled, provide the media stream to an
input/output system associated with an associated vehicle
occupant;
[0023] (j) an installation supervisor to determine, for a newly
installed software and/or hardware and/or other component, whether
the newly installed component satisfies defined functional and/or
source or reuse requirements and/or restrictions for the component
and/or license restrictions, and, when satisfied, create data
structures in the component and/or a memory in the vehicle to bind
the component to the current vehicle and thereby prevent the
component from communicating with a processing module in a
different vehicle;
[0024] (k) a computational module selector to select a
computational module to perform a selected task, operation, and/or
function;
[0025] (l) a network security module to isolate a component
encountering a security breach and/or isolate a primary processing
module from one or more other components in a local vehicle
network;
[0026] (m) a media controller to detect movement of a computational
device from an authorized station to an unauthorized station and
restrict, relative to wireless connection to the authorized
station, an operation and/or function of the computational device
when wirelessly connected to the unauthorized station;
[0027] (n) a network controller to cache automatically streaming
media in response to a vehicle state change, function, and/or
operation;
[0028] (o) a unified communications presence reporting module to
determine whether a vehicle occupant is present and/or by what
communication channel to contact the occupant based on a
requirement of a law applicable to a current location of the
vehicle; and
[0029] (p) a social networking module to enable processing modules
of different vehicles to wirelessly connect to exchange vehicle
information.
[0030] The first and second processing modules can be in wireless
communication with one another, such that a state of the second
processing module is maintained substantially in synchronicity with
a state of the first processing module to a enable a stateful
failover from the first processing module to the second processing
module.
[0031] The arbitration module can select one of the first and
second processing modules to currently possess and/or own a token,
the token indicating which processing module is an active
processing module and/or which processing module is a standby
processing module.
[0032] The health check module can perform a check and/or test, in
response to an internally generated interrupt and/or request to
determine a selected processing module's ability to perform
critical and/or non-critical vehicle tasks, functions, and/or
operations, assign a score to the selected processing module based
on the check and/or test results, and compare the score to one or
more thresholds and/or to a score of a different processing module
to determine a state of health to determine a state of health of
the selected processing module.
[0033] The displayed object movement module can select the target
input/output system from among plural input/output systems on board
the vehicle based on input from a user of the source input/output
system.
[0034] The selected rule applied by the media filter can be one or
more of a whitelist, blacklist, user preference, sensed occupant
context, and/or governing federal, state, provincial, and/or local
law and/or regulation applicable to a current sensed spatial
location of the vehicle.
[0035] The network selector can select one of plural communication
networks local to the vehicle for transmitting a selected signal
based on one or more of network/node status, signal/noise ratio,
type of signal, available and/or unavailable bandwidth, network
performance parameter(s), and quality of service.
[0036] The diagnostic module can provide the warning and/or error
signal to the vehicle occupant and interactively communicates a
likely cause of the warning and/or error signal to the occupant and
receives a command from the occupant to contact one or more of an
emergency service provider, an emergency responder, and a remotely
located diagnostic service.
[0037] The remote control module can be associated with one or more
of the vehicle owner, a law enforcement authority, a lender
associated with a loan having the vehicle as collateral, and a
vehicle manufacturer, wherein the requested vehicle function, is
executed or caused to be executed notwithstanding a contrary
command from the vehicle operator.
[0038] The media controller, in a dependent mode, can provide
common content synchronously to each of the input/output systems
and, in an independent mode, provide different content to different
ones of the input/output systems.
[0039] The newly installed software and/or hardware and/or other
component can be one or more of an on-board sensor, a processing
module or component thereof, a software application, a circuit
board, an expansion module or component thereof, a critical or
non-critical device, and a cellular upgrade module.
[0040] The computational module can be selected by the
computational module selector from among plural computational
modules, wherein the plural computational modules comprise one or
more vehicle processing devices and one or more occupant
computational devices, the one or more occupant computational
devices comprising one or more of a mobile phone, personal digital
assistant, tablet computer, and laptop computer.
[0041] The computational module can be selected by the
computational module selector from among plural computational
modules, wherein the plural computational modules comprise multiple
software applications corresponding to different versions,
releases, and/or vendors of a common type of software
application.
[0042] The network security module filters and/or prohibits
communications between the isolated one of the component and/or
processing module with other network components.
[0043] The media controller can permit a first function and/or
operation to be performed by the computational device when
wirelessly connected to the authorized station but not when
wirelessly connected to the unauthorized station.
[0044] The network controller can cache automatically streaming
media in response to the vehicle state changing from a parked state
to an unparked state.
[0045] The unified communications presence reporting module can
determine that the vehicle occupant is the operator of the vehicle
and that the vehicle operator is not present by a selected
communication channel when the vehicle is in motion.
[0046] The present disclosure further includes a non-transient,
tangible computer readable medium comprising processor executable
instructions to perform one or more of operations (a)-(p) and a
method to perform one or more of the operations (a)-(p).
[0047] The vehicle described in the present disclosure can provide
a number of advantages. For example, the vehicle can provide for
improved control of data stream management and integration to
accommodate the ever-increasing sophistication of each data segment
and enable data sharing amongst all segments. It can enable
interoperability amongst diverse systems. It can provide an open
architecture, thereby obviating existing constraints on design
changes due to locked-in technology. It can enable drivers freely
and conveniently to integrate his or her digital lifestyle into a
vehicle while enabling voice and fingertip activation. It can
implement a dynamic software environment and on board vehicle
network that does not need to change over technology generations.
Car manufacturers can have the freedom to specify any type of
processor, memory or storage technology and to make appropriate
changes at any time. The architecture can integrate presentation
functions, sensor/control functions and infotainment functions in a
highly modular extensible way ensuring that the system design can
scale up or down easily and evolve over many model years without
battling technological obsolescence. For example, the architecture
can allow the vehicle owner and/or manufacturer to upgrade and/or
add application engines, upgrade the in-vehicle networking
capabilities, upgrade Internet connectivity, upgrade display
capabilities, and migrate to high availability capabilities, all
without radical changes to the software environment and/or for
inter- and intra-model line differentiation. The vehicle can
support multiple processing and expansion modules that anchor
specific functions to a selected processor. It can support a
variety of embedded Electronic Control Unit ("ECU") data sources,
such as those provided by LIN, CAN, and FlexRay, and IPv6
connectivity that enables seamless migration to Ethernet-based
sensor technology and new bus architectures supported by the
AutoStar initiative. It can employ a single data management hub,
providing improved vehicle safety in the face of security threats
posed by connectivity to the Ethernet. It can enable vehicle
manufacturers to manage multiple display subsystems that are unique
to the subsystem location in the vehicle and deliver vehicle
occupants a personalized experience. The subsystems can include,
for example, a console display (providing information and
input/output control), a configurable dashboard display, a
configurable heads-up display, and passenger display units.
Configurable displays allow drivers to add/change gauges for
non-vehicle operation information that is displayed on the
dashboard and heads-up display to suit user preferences and needs.
Direct video can be delivered through display controllers and/or an
interactive touch screen, optionally equipped with proximity
sensors, all implemented with Ethernet-based intelligent display
subsystems. Handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants,
cellular phones, and tablet and laptop computers, can interface
wirelessly, via one or more tethered networks, with the vehicle's
processing module(s) and be integrated into the processing
resources available to perform vehicle-related tasks, operations,
and functions. Assignment of an IPv6 address or other electronic
address on a network to the vehicle can provide an address to
locate the vehicle on the Internet (or other network), simplify
implementing cyber security, enable applications that support
safety and data collection for predictive analytics, enable
voice-over-IP calls from the vehicle, and furnish reliable presence
information to a presence service or server.
[0048] These and other advantages will be apparent from the
disclosure.
[0049] The phrases "at least one", "one or more", and "and/or" are
open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in
operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A,
B and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, and
C", "one or more of A, B, or C" and "A, B, and/or C" means A alone,
B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C
together, or A, B and C together.
[0050] The term "a" or "an" entity refers to one or more of that
entity. As such, the terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more" and "at
least one" can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be
noted that the terms "comprising", "including", and "having" can be
used interchangeably.
[0051] The term "automatic" and variations thereof, as used herein,
refers to any process or operation done without material human
input when the process or operation is performed. However, a
process or operation can be automatic, even though performance of
the process or operation uses material or immaterial human input,
if the input is received before performance of the process or
operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input
influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human
input that consents to the performance of the process or operation
is not deemed to be "material".
[0052] The term "automotive navigation system" is a satellite
navigation system designed for use in automobiles. It typically
uses a GPS navigation device to acquire position data to locate the
user on a road in the unit's map database. Using the road database,
the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in
its database. Dead reckoning using distance data from sensors
attached to the drivetrain, a gyroscope and an accelerometer can be
used for greater reliability, as GPS signal loss and/or multipath
can occur due to urban canyons or tunnels.
[0053] The term "bus" and variations thereof, as used herein,
refers to a subsystem that transfers information and/or data
between various components. A bus generally refers to the
collection communication hardware interface, interconnects, bus
architecture, and/or protocol defining the communication scheme for
a communication system and/or communication network. A bus may also
be specifically refer to a part of a communication hardware that
interfaces the communication hardware with the interconnects that
connect to other components of the corresponding communication
network. The bus may be for a wired network, such as a physical
bus, or wireless network, such as part of an antenna or hardware
that couples the communication hardware with the antenna. A bus
architecture supports a defined format in which information and/or
data is arranged when sent and received through a communication
network. A protocol may define the format and rules of
communication of a bus architecture.
[0054] The terms "communication device," "smartphone," and "mobile
device," and variations thereof, as used herein, are used
interchangeably and include any type of device capable of
communicating with one or more of another device and/or across a
communications network, via a communications protocol, and the
like. Exemplary communication devices may include but are not
limited to smartphones, handheld computers, laptops, netbooks,
notebook computers, subnotebooks, tablet computers, scanners,
portable gaming devices, phones, pagers, GPS modules, portable
music players, and other Internet-enabled and/or network-connected
devices.
[0055] The term "communication system" or "communication network"
and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to a collection of
communication components capable of one or more of transmission,
relay, interconnect, control, or otherwise manipulate information
or data from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver. As
such, the communication may include a range of systems supporting
point-to-point to broadcasting of the information or data. A
communication system may refer to the collection individual
communication hardware as well as the interconnects associated with
and connecting the individual communication hardware. Communication
hardware may refer to dedicated communication hardware or may refer
a processor coupled with a communication means (i.e. an antenna)
and running software capable of using the communication means to
send a signal within the communication system. Interconnect refers
some type of wired or wireless communication link that connects
various components, such as communication hardware, within a
communication system. A communication network may refer to a
specific setup of a communication system with the collection of
individual communication hardware and interconnects having some
definable network topography. A communication network may include
wired and/or wireless network having a pre-set to an ad hoc network
structure.
[0056] The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to
any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate in
providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium
may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile
media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media
includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks.
Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common
forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy
disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other
magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other
optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium
with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a
solid state medium like a memory card, any other memory chip or
cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other
medium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment to
e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of
archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a
tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable media is
configured as a database, it is to be understood that the database
may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical,
object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure is
considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution
medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in
which the software implementations of the present disclosure are
stored.
[0057] The terms "dash" and "dashboard" and variations thereof, as
used herein, are used interchangeably and include any panel and/or
area of a vehicle disposed adjacent to an operator, user, and/or
passenger. Typical dashboards may include but are not limited to
one or more control panel, instrument housing, head unit,
indicator, gauge, meter, light, audio equipment, computer, screen,
display, HUD unit, and graphical user interface.
[0058] The terms "determine", "calculate" and "compute," and
variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and
include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation or
technique.
[0059] The term "display" refers to a portion of a screen used to
display the output of a computer to a user.
[0060] The term "displayed image" or "displayed object" refers to
an image produced on the display. A typical displayed image is a
window or desktop or portion thereof, such as an icon. The
displayed image may occupy all or a portion of the display.
[0061] The term "electronic address" refers to any contactable
address, including a telephone number, instant message handle,
e-mail address, Universal Resource Locator ("URL"), Universal
Resource Identifier ("URI"), Address of Record ("AOR"), electronic
alias in a database, like addresses, and combinations thereof.
[0062] The terms "online community", "e-community", or "virtual
community" mean a group of people that primarily interact via a
computer network, rather than face to face, for social,
professional, educational or other purposes. The interaction can
use a variety of media formats, including wikis, blogs, chat rooms,
Internet forums, instant messaging, email, and other forms of
electronic media. Many media formats are used in social software
separately or in combination, including text-based chatrooms and
forums that use voice, video text or avatars.
[0063] The term "means" as used herein shall be given its broadest
possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112,
Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term "means"
shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein,
and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures,
materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all
those described in the summary of the invention, brief description
of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims
themselves.
[0064] The term "module" as used herein refers to any known or
later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial
intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software
that is capable of performing the functionality associated with
that element. Also, while the disclosure is presented in terms of
exemplary embodiments, it should be appreciated that individual
aspects of the disclosure can be separately claimed.
[0065] The term "presence" is a status indicator that conveys
ability and willingness of a potential communication partner--for
example a user--to communicate. A user's client provides presence
information (presence state) via a network connection to a presence
service, which is stored in what constitutes his personal
availability record (called a presentity) and can be made available
for distribution to other users (called watchers) to convey his
availability for communication. Presence information has wide
application in many communication services and is one of the
innovations driving the popularity of instant messaging or recent
implementations of voice over IP clients. A user client may publish
a presence state to indicate its current communication status. This
published state informs others that wish to contact the user of his
availability and willingness to communicate. The most common use of
presence today is to display an indicator icon on instant messaging
clients, typically from a choice of graphic symbols with
easy-to-convey meanings, and a list of corresponding text
descriptions of each of the states. Even when technically not the
same, the "on-hook" or "off-hook" state of called telephone is an
analogy, as long as the caller receives a distinctive tone
indicating unavailability or availability.
[0066] The term "satellite positioning system receiver" refers to a
wireless receiver or transceiver to receive and/or send location
signals from and/or to a satellite positioning system, such as the
Global Positioning System ("GPS") (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo
positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and
Regional Navigational Satellite System (India).
[0067] The term "social network service" is a service provider that
builds online communities of people, who share interests and/or
activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and
activities of others. Most social network services are web-based
and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail
and instant messaging services.
[0068] The term "social network" refers to a web-based social
network.
[0069] The term "screen," "touch screen," or "touchscreen" refers
to a physical structure that enables the user to interact with the
computer by touching areas on the screen and provides information
to a user through a display. The touch screen may sense user
contact in a number of different ways, such as by a change in an
electrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic
wave variations, infrared radiation proximity detection, light
variation detection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, for
example, normally separated conductive and resistive metallic
layers in the screen pass an electrical current. When a user
touches the screen, the two layers make contact in the contacted
location, whereby a change in electrical field is noted and the
coordinates of the contacted location calculated. In a capacitive
touch screen, a capacitive layer stores electrical charge, which is
discharged to the user upon contact with the touch screen, causing
a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer. The decrease is
measured, and the contacted location coordinates determined. In a
surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted
through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed by user
contact. A receiving transducer detects the user contact instance
and determines the contacted location coordinates. The touch screen
may or may not include a proximity sensor to sense a nearness of
object, such as a user digit, to the screen.
[0070] The term "vehicle" refers to a device or structure for
transporting animate and/or inanimate or tangible objects (e.g.,
persons and/or things), such as a self-propelled conveyance. The
term "vehicle" as used herein includes any conveyance, or model of
a conveyance, where the conveyance was originally designed for the
purpose of moving one or more tangible objects, such as people,
animals, cargo, and the like. The term "vehicle" does not require
that a conveyance moves or is capable of movement. Typical vehicles
may include but are in no way limited to cars, trucks, motorcycles,
busses, automobiles, trains, railed conveyances, boats, ships,
marine conveyances, submarine conveyances, aircraft, space craft,
flying machines, human-powered conveyances, and the like.
[0071] The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to
provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This
summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the
disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical
elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the
disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a
simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description
presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,
embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possible
utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set
forth above or described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0072] FIG. 1 depicts a vehicle configured in accordance with an
embodiment;
[0073] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a processing module according
to an embodiment;
[0074] FIG. 3 depicts a vehicle implementing processing modules
configured in according with an embodiment;
[0075] FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of a health-check method
according to an embodiment;
[0076] FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of a hand-off procedure method
according to an embodiment;
[0077] FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of a system stand-by method
according to an embodiment;
[0078] FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of a processor off-load method
according to an embodiment;
[0079] FIG. 8 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0080] FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0081] FIG. 10 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0082] FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0083] FIG. 12 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0084] FIG. 13 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0085] FIG. 14 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0086] FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a computational system
according to an embodiment;
[0087] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an input/output system
according to an embodiment;
[0088] FIG. 17 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0089] FIG. 18 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0090] FIG. 19 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0091] FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a vehicle computational system
according to an embodiment;
[0092] FIG. 21 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0093] FIGS. 22A-B depict configurations of input/output systems
according to an embodiment;
[0094] FIG. 23 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0095] FIG. 24 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0096] FIG. 25 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0097] FIG. 26 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0098] FIG. 27 depicts a communication system according to an
embodiment;
[0099] FIG. 28 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment;
[0100] FIG. 29 depicts a flow diagram according to an embodiment;
and
[0101] FIG. 30 depicts a flow diagram according to an
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0102] Overview
[0103] The present disclosure describes a vehicle implementing one
or more processing modules. These modules are configured to connect
and interface with the various buses in the vehicle, where the
various buses are connected with the various components of the
vehicle to facilitate information transfer among the vehicle
components. Each processing module is further modularized with the
ability to add and replace other functional modules now or in the
future. These functional modules can themselves act as distinct
vehicle components. Each processing module may hand-off processing
to other modules depending on its health, processing load, or by
third-party control. Thus, the plurality of processing modules help
to implement a middleware point of control to the vehicle with
redundancy in processing and safety and security awareness in their
applications.
[0104] Exemplary processing modules include one or more of:
[0105] (a) an active-active or active-standby duplicated processing
module configurations in fully or partially wirelessly networked
vehicles;
[0106] (b) an arbitration module to handle hand-off conflicts in
duplicated processing module configurations;
[0107] (c) a health check module which checks critical and
non-critical tasks, functions, and operations of each processing
module to determine which to designate as the active or primary
processing module;
[0108] (d) a displayed object movement module to move displayed
objects from a source input/output system to a target or
destination input/output system;
[0109] (e) a media filter which filters third party sourced
signals, particularly multimedia signals, in a manner consistent
with a vehicle universal or occupant-specific whitelist, blacklist,
or other user preference, sensed occupant context, and/or a
governing federal, state, provincial, and/or local law or
regulation;
[0110] (f) in a vehicle equipped with an internal wireless network
and optionally bus-type network, a network selector which selects a
network for signal transmission based on network/node status,
signal/noise ratio, type of signal, available and/or unavailable
bandwidth, network performance parameter(s) (e.g., availability,
packet drop or loss, jitter, latency, buffer capacity, throughput,
and the like) quality of service, and/or other parameters and
configures the signal for transmission over the selected
network;
[0111] (g) a diagnostic module handles warning/error signals in a
predetermined manner;
[0112] (h) a remote control module which receives a request from a
remote source or third party to command a vehicle function (which
function may be identified by a suitable function-specific code),
authenticates the requestor, and if successfully authenticated and
if privileged to request the performance of the vehicle function,
executes the request notwithstanding a contrary command from the
vehicle operator;
[0113] (i) a media controller, which receives a media stream from a
remote node, identifies which input/output systems are disabled due
to operator command and/or as a result of governing law, and
provides the media stream to an input/output system associated with
the associated occupant;
[0114] (j) an installation supervisor which, for a newly installed
software and/or hardware and/or other device (such as an on-board
sensor, processing module or component thereof, software
application, circuit board, expansion module or component thereof
(which expansion module may be hardware, software, or a combination
thereof), critical or non-critical device (such as those discussed
above with respect to the critical or non-critical system
controller(s)), cellular upgrade module (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE,
or other cellular standard upgrade or Subscriber Identity Module
("SIM") card, board, or other upgrade module, and the like),
determines whether the newly installed component satisfies defined
functional and/or source or reuse requirements and/or restrictions
for the component, license restrictions, and other criteria, and,
if satisfied, creates data structures in the component (if it has a
resident memory) and the vehicle memory to bind the component to
the current vehicle;
[0115] (k) a computational module selector to perform processing
load balancing over multiple processing modules;
[0116] (l) network security which isolates a component encountering
a security breach and/or isolates the primary processing module
from other components in the local network if the former is not
possible;
[0117] (m) a "cone of silence" capability by the media controller
for external computational devices;
[0118] (n) an automated caching, potentially by individual
input/output systems, by the media controller of media based on
various factors;
[0119] (o) a presence reporting module considering local laws in
determining whether an individual is present (e.g., for unified
communications) and, if so, by what communication channel(s);
and
[0120] (p) a social networking module to enable processing modules
of different vehicles to wirelessly connect for to exchange vehicle
information.
[0121] The Vehicle
[0122] FIGS. 1, 3, and 15 collectively illustrate a vehicle 100
incorporating various features.
[0123] Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 includes, among many
components common to vehicles, wheels 104, a power source 108 (such
as an engine, motor, or energy storage system (e.g., battery or
capacitive energy storage system)), a manual or automatic
transmission 112, a manual or automatic transmission gear
controller 116, a power controller 120 (such as a throttle), a
braking system 136, a steering wheel 140, a display panel 144
(e.g., a dashboard displaying information regarding components in
vehicle 100), and an occupant seating system 148.
[0124] Other components in vehicle 100 include communication
components such as a wireless signal receiver 152 to receive
wireless signals from signal sources such as roadside beacons and
other electronic roadside devices, and a satellite positioning
system receiver 156 (e.g., a Global Positioning System ("GPS")
(US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo positioning system (EU), Compass
navigation system (China), and Regional Navigational Satellite
System (India) receiver).
[0125] The vehicle 100 also includes a number of control units and
sensors for the various components of vehicle 100. Exemplary
control units and sensors therefor include wheel state sensor 160
to sense one or more of vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration,
wheel rotation, wheel speed (e.g., wheel revolutions-per-minute),
wheel slip, and the like. Power source controller and energy output
sensor 164 controls the power source and to senses a power output
of the power source 108. Example aspects of power source controller
and energy output sensor 165 include balancing the mixture of fuel
(e.g. gasoline, natural gas, or other sources of fuel) and other
elements (e.g. air for combustion) and measuring one or more of
current engine speed (e.g., revolutions-per-minute), energy input
and/or output (e.g., voltage, current, fuel consumption, and
torque), and the like. Switch state control unit 168 activates or
deactivates the power source (e.g. the ignition). Transmission
control unit ("TCU") 170 sets the current state the transmission
(e.g., gear selection or setting) based on the state of gear
controller 116. Power control unit 174 sets the throttle for power
source 108 given the state of power controller 120. Brake control
unit 176 operates the current state (braking or non-braking) of
braking system 136 based on the state of the brake controller
(which could be linked to power controller 120).
[0126] Vehicle 100 also includes other control units and sensors
for safety purposes. An airbag deployment system includes an airbag
deployment control unit 133 and a collision sensor 132. When a
collision is detected by collision sensor 132, data is sent to
airbag release control unit 133 which determines whether to deploy
the airbag based on the data received (e.g., the speed of the
collision and the area of impact to determine whether an airbag
deployment can promote safety). Other safety components include
seat belt control unit and sensors for setting the seat belt (e.g.
engaging or disengaging the seat belt during hard breaking), head
light control unit and sensors for headlight 128 and other lights
(e.g. emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog light,
interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light state
(on or off)), door settings (locking and unlocking), window
settings (opening or closing), one or cameras or other imaging
sensors (which commonly convert an optical image into an electronic
signal but may include other devices for detection objects such as
an electromagnetic radiation emitter/receiver that emits
electromagnetic radiation and receives electromagnetic waves
reflected by the object) to sense objects, such as other vehicles
and pedestrians and optionally determine the distance, trajectory
and speed of such objects, in the vicinity or path of the vehicle,
and other components and sensors as known in the art.
[0127] Vehicle 100 further includes components for the convenience
and enjoyment of the occupants or operators. Seating system
controller and sensor 178 sets the position and other settings of a
seat and measure various attributes of an occupant of the seat
(e.g., the current weight of seated occupant) in a selected seat of
the seating system 148. Entertainment system 190, preferably
located in the head unit of the passenger compartment, provides
entertainment options such as music or video for occupants of
vehicle 100.
[0128] Examples of other vehicle components include one or more
cameras or other imaging sensors (which commonly convert an optical
image into an electronic signal but may include other devices for
detection objects such as an electromagnetic radiation
emitter/receiver that emits electromagnetic radiation and receives
electromagnetic waves reflected by the object) to sense objects,
such as other vehicles and pedestrians and optionally determine the
distance, trajectory and speed of such objects, in the vicinity or
path of the vehicle, odometer reading sensor, trip mileage reading
sensor, wind speed sensor, radar transmitter/receiver output, brake
wear sensor, steering/torque sensor, oxygen sensor, ambient
lighting sensor, vision system sensor, ranging sensor, parking
sensor, heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) sensor, water
sensor, air-fuel ratio meter, blind spot monitor, hall effect
sensor, microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor, infrared (IR)
sensor, vehicle control system sensors, wireless network sensor
(e.g., Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth sensor), cellular data sensor, and
other sensors known to those of skill in the vehicle art.
[0129] Vehicle 100 includes one or more vehicle buses 180 for
connecting the various components and systems of vehicle 100 as
described above. In modern vehicles, subsystems such as an
anti-lock braking system (ABS), which may be used by brake control
unit 176 and braking system 136, engine control unit (ECU), which
may be used by power source control 164, transmission control unit
(TCU), which may be used by transmission control unit 170 and gear
controller 116, and supplemental restraint system (SRS), such as
airbag deployment control unit 133 and collision sensor 132 and
seating system controller and sensor 178, are frequently
interconnected using a standardized bus. Standardized buses for use
in vehicles include Controller Area Network (CAN), and Local
Interconnect Network (LIN) and others, as are known in the art. In
particular, these components and subsystems may use the high-speed
CAN bus for real-time information. Other components with lower
priorities may use the low-speed CAN bus to transmit information.
Vehicle bus 180 (which is optional) is illustrated as one bus in
FIG. 1. However, vehicle 100 may include one or more of these
standardized buses, such as a combination of the high-speed and
low-speed CAN, LIN, and/or other buses. Also, vehicle bus 180 may
further include and support extensions to standardized buses, such
as the FlexCAN extension to the CAN bus. Further, vehicle bus 180
may include standardized communication networks that can be
implemented vehicle 100. Well known networks include Ethernet,
Wi-Fi, USB, I.sup.2C, RS232, RS485 and FireWire.
[0130] Vehicle 100 also includes processing module 124. Preferably,
processing module 124 is placed in the trunk, hood (not shown),
behind the head unit (not shown), and/or other accessible but
unseen locations. Processing module 124 is coupled to vehicle bus
180 and provides processing for data related to vehicle bus 180 and
other vehicle components.
[0131] Processing modules, for example, can perform, monitor,
and/or control critical and non-critical tasks, functions, and
operations, such as interaction with and/or monitoring and/or
control of critical and non-critical on board sensors and vehicle
operations (e.g., engine, transmission, throttle, brake power
assist/brake lock-up, electronic suspension, traction and stability
control, parallel parking assistance, occupant protection systems,
power steering assistance, self-diagnostics, event data recorders,
steer-by-wire and/or brake-by-wire operations, vehicle-to-vehicle
interactions, vehicle-to-infrastructure interactions, partial
and/or full automation, telematics, navigation/SPS, multimedia
systems, audio systems, rear seat entertainment systems, game
consoles, tuners (SDR), heads-up display, night vision, lane
departure warning, adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights,
collision warning, blind spot sensors, park/reverse assistance,
tire pressure monitoring, traffic signal recognition, vehicle
tracking (e.g., LoJack.TM.), dashboard/instrument cluster, lights,
seats, climate control, voice recognition, remote keyless entry,
security alarm systems, and wiper/window control). Processing
modules can be enclosed in an advanced EMI-shielded enclosure
containing multiple expansion modules. Processing modules can have
a "black box" or flight data recorder technology, containing an
event (or driving history) recorder (containing operational
information collected from vehicle on board sensors and provided by
nearby or roadside signal transmitters), a crash survivable memory
unit, an integrated controller and circuitry board, and network
interfaces. Processing module 124 is further disclosed with
reference to FIG. 2.
[0132] As set forth below and as shown in FIG. 3, multiple
processing modules 124a-c may be located at various locations in a
common vehicle. The disparate, spaced apart locations of the
processing modules 124a-c provide redundancy in the event of a
collision or other catastrophic event. For example, a collision
with the rear of the vehicle 100 may damage the processing module
124c but not the processing modules 124a,b.
[0133] As will be appreciated, the multiple processing modules
124a-c may be configured to operate in an active/active and/or
active/standby mode. These operating modes describe the manner in
which first and second (redundant) devices operate under normal
conditions. In active/standby implementations, only the primary
device in a pair processes information and issues commands. The
standby device sits idle, ready to assume the active role should
the primary device fail. The standby device may receive, from the
primary device, processing, command, and primary device state
information to facilitate stateful failover, but it does not itself
commonly perform meaningful work until the primary device fails. In
active/active implementations, both devices are online and
collaboratively process information and issue commands under normal
conditions. When one device fails, all processing is handled by the
remaining device.
[0134] A user can be an occupant of a vehicle 100 that implements
the system of FIG. 1. A user can further be an assembler,
technician, or mechanic working on the vehicle to configure the
system of FIG. 1 for use by an end-user of the vehicle.
[0135] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram for a (primary
and/or secondary) processing module 124a-c.
[0136] Processing module 124 may include processor 210, memory 220,
storage 230, and interfaces for one or more buses 240-270. Among
the interfaces 240-270 include high-speed CAN bus 240, low-speed
CAN bus 250, LIN bus 260, network interface 270, and/or wireless
interface 280. One skilled in the art will recognize that
processing module 124 may take other configurations and with other
buses as known in the art, and interfaces 240-290 may be
implemented with more or fewer buses than those shown.
[0137] The operations of processing module 124 will now be
described with respect to the high-speed CAN bus interface 240 and
low-speed CAN bus interface 250 as an exemplary configuration in
one embodiment of the invention. In one implementation, processing
module 124 receives data transmitted over vehicle bus 180 through
high-speed CAN bus interface 240 and/or low-speed CAN bus interface
250. Data transmitted over the high-speed CAN bus includes priority
data from subsystems such as anti-lock braking system (ABS), which
may be used by brake control unit 176 and braking system 136,
engine control unit (ECU), which may be used by power source
control 164, transmission control unit (TCU), which may be used by
transmission control unit 170 and gear controller 116, and
supplemental restraint system (SRS), such as airbag deployment
control unit 133 and collision sensor 132 and seating system
controller and sensor 178, as described above. Data transmitted
over the low-speed CAN bus includes other noncritical data, such as
engine temperature and oil pressure sensor readings.
[0138] Wireless interface 280, by contrast, can be a transceiver
for one or more long, intermediate, or short range wireless
networks, such as a radio (e.g., cellular such as CDMA, GSM, or
IS-95 network), 802.X, a WiFi.TM. network, a Bluetooth.TM. network,
and the like, sending and receiving a wide variety of information,
including lower priority information, such as data for the
convenience and enjoyment of the occupants in entertainment system
190 or seating system 148. The wireless interface 280 can access
information over one or more wireless networks using an appropriate
protocol, such as the Wireless Application Protocol, Wireless
Internet Protocol, Wireless Session Protocol, Bluetooth Wireless
Protocol, Wireless Datagram Protocol, Wireless HART Protocol, Wired
Equivalent Privacy (WEP), MiWi and MiWi P2P, RuBee (IEEE standard
1902.1), Wireless USB, Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS),
and the like. In one vehicle configuration, the wireless interface
280 connects, via a short distance protocol such as Bluetooth.TM.
or WiFi.TM., to an external computational device, such as a cell
phone, personal digital assistant, laptop, personal computer, or
tablet computer, for access to remote nodes over the Internet.
[0139] Local network interface 270 is a transceiver for signals
exchanged with other on board components of the vehicle (including
the components discussed above with respect to FIG. 1). The signals
may be sent over a wired or wireless (or combination thereof)
network. In one configuration, the local network interface is a
wireless access point. Any suitable local area network protocol may
be used, with the Ethernet protocol and the short-range protocols
mentioned above being examples.
[0140] The processor 210 may comprise a general purpose
programmable (micro)processor or controller for executing
application programming or instructions. In accordance with at
least some embodiments, the processor 210 may include multiple
processor cores, and/or implement multiple virtual processors. In
accordance with still other embodiments, the processor 210 may
include multiple physical processors. As a particular example, the
processor 304 may comprise a specially configured application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other integrated circuit, a
digital signal processor, a controller, a hardwired electronic or
logic circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array, a special
purpose computer, or the like. The processor 210 generally
functions to run programming code or instructions implementing
various functions of the device 200.
[0141] Memory 220 for use in connection with the execution of
application programming or instructions by the processor 210, and
for the temporary or long term storage of program instructions
and/or data. As examples, the memory 220 may comprise RAM, DRAM,
SDRAM, or other solid state memory. Alternatively or in addition,
data storage 230 may be provided. Like the memory 220, the data
storage 230 may comprise a solid state memory device or devices.
Alternatively or in addition, the data storage 230 may comprise a
hard disk drive or other random access memory.
[0142] FIG. 3 depicts a vehicle 300 with multiple processing
modules according to an embodiment. Vehicle 300 includes bus 180,
vehicle component 310, and processing modules 124A-C.
[0143] Vehicle component 310 is an exemplary vehicle component for
illustration purposes that is connected to bus 380. Vehicle
component 310 may represent any of the vehicle components discussed
in connection with vehicle 100 (FIG. 1).
[0144] Each of the processing modules 124A-C is each coupled to bus
180. Processing module 124A is located in the engine compartment of
vehicle 300; processing module 124B is located in the passenger
compartment of vehicle 300; and processing module 124C is located
in the truck of vehicle 300.
[0145] In one configuration, some of the processing modules 124A-C
may have limited processing functions as compared to the others.
For example, processing module 124A may act as the default
processing module for vehicle 300 normally because of its location
being close to most critical vehicle components in the engine
compartment (i.e., ECU, TCU). If the other processing modules
124B-C are only needed for redundancy, they may be implemented to
only have limited capabilities (i.e., these processing modules
would not be require to have processing all critical and
non-critical functions). This implementation has the advantage of
reduced costs and/or space as compared to fitting processing module
will full capabilities. The processing modules 124A-C may also have
cascading levels of capabilities. For example, processing module
124B is fitted in the passenger compartment and is deemed to most
likely survive a collision; it may be required to have capabilities
critical to vehicle operation but no other capabilities to save
space in the passenger compartment. Processing module 124C may have
additional capabilities such as a cellular module so that emergency
calls may be automatically placed if the default processing module
124A fails.
[0146] In another configuration, each of the processing modules
124A-C may have different capabilities. For example, processing
module 124A may have capabilities only for critical vehicle
functions; processing module 124C may have capabilities only for
non-critical vehicle functions; and processing module 124B may be
reserved for back-up processing of both critical and non-critical
vehicle functions. In one implementation, processing may be
off-loaded to another processing module if one module becomes
overloaded. This configuration has the advantage further reduction
in costs and space because processing power is not wasted due to
redundancy. In the case where one processing module malfunctions,
the other processing modules may pick up processing duties via a
processor off-load procedure. If there is not enough processing
power all wanted functionalities, the processing modules may work
together to prioritize critical vehicle functions ahead of
non-critical functions.
[0147] FIG. 20 depicts computational modules and data structures in
memory 220 according to an embodiment.
[0148] An arbitration module 2000 selects a processing module to
currently possess or own token 2004 (which is used to designate the
processing module 124, in an active-standby configuration, being
the active or standby processing module or, in an active-active
configuration, having the responsibility for certain tasks,
functions, or operations, such as critical tasks, operations, or
functions, while the other processing module has responsibility for
other different tasks, operations, or functions, such as
non-critical tasks, operations, or functions.
[0149] A heath check module 2008 performs checks or tests, in
response to internally generated interrupts or requests from the
other processing module, its ability to perform both critical and
non-critical tasks, functions, and operations. Individual scores
and composite or cumulative scores for the tasks, functions, and
operations can be determined and compared to thresholds to
determine an absolute state of health and/or to the individual
and/or cumulative scores of the other processing module to
determine a relative state of health.
[0150] Critical system controller(s) control, monitor, and/or
operate critical systems. Critical systems can include one or more
of (depending on the particular vehicle) monitoring, controlling,
and/or operating the ECU, TCU, door settings, window settings,
and/or blind spot monitor, monitoring, controlling, and/or
operating the safety equipment (e.g., airbag deployment control
unit 133, collision sensor 132, nearby object sensing system, seat
belt control unit, sensors for setting the seat belt, etc.),
monitoring and/or controlling certain critical sensors such as the
power source controller and energy output sensor 164, engine
temperature, oil pressure sensing, hydraulic pressure sensors,
sensors for headlight 128 and other lights (e.g. emergency light,
brake light, parking light, fog light, interior or passenger
compartment light, and/or tail light state (on or off)), vehicle
control system sensors, wireless network sensor (e.g., Wi-Fi and/or
Bluetooth sensor), cellular data sensor, and/or steering/torque
sensor, controlling the operation of the engine (e.g., ignition),
head light control unit, power steering, display panel, switch
state control unit 168, power control unit 174, and/or brake
control unit 176, and/or issuing alerts to a user and/or remote
monitoring entity of potential problems with a vehicle
operation.
[0151] Non-critical system controller(s) 2016 control, monitor,
and/or operate non-critical systems. Non-critical systems can
include one or more of (depending on the particular vehicle)
monitoring, controlling, and/or operating a non-critical system.
emissions control, seating system controller and sensor 178,
entertainment system 190, monitoring certain non-critical sensors
such as ambient (outdoor) weather readings (e.g., temperature,
precipitation, wind speed, and the like), odometer reading sensor,
trip mileage reading sensor, road condition sensors (e.g., wet,
icy, etc.), radar transmitter/receiver output, brake wear sensor,
oxygen sensor, ambient lighting sensor, vision system sensor,
ranging sensor, parking sensor, heating, venting, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system and sensor, water sensor, air-fuel ratio
meter, hall effect sensor, microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor,
and/or infrared (IR) sensor.
[0152] On board sensor monitor(s) 2020 include interfaces to
receive signals from and transmit signals to a corresponding
on-board sensor, including the on-board sensors discussed above,
and the logic to monitor sensor operation and readings.
[0153] The displayed object movement module 2024 monitors display
input received from occupants for commands to move a displayed
object from a first display to a different second display in the
vehicle for viewing by, for instance, a different occupant. The
display input may include, for example, a sensed gesture, an icon
selection, or other input indicative to a desire or request to move
a displayed object from the first display to the second display.
The moved object may or may not be retained for view on the first
display after movement.
[0154] The diagnostic module 2028 handles warning/error signals in
a predetermined manner. The signals, for instance, can be presented
to a third party and/or occupant and/or cause the performance of on
board diagnostics.
[0155] The media filter 2032 filters third party sourced signals,
particularly multimedia signals, in a manner consistent with a
vehicle universal or occupant-specific whitelist, blacklist, or
other user preference, sensed occupant context, and/or a governing
federal, state, provincial, or local law or regulation.
[0156] The network selector 2036 selects a network for signal
transmission based on network/node status, signal/noise ratio, type
of signal, available and/or unavailable bandwidth, network
performance parameter(s) (e.g., availability, packet drop or loss,
jitter, latency, buffer capacity, throughput, and the like) quality
of service, and/or other parameters and configures the signal for
transmission over the selected network.
[0157] The remote control module 2040 receives a request from a
remote source or third party to command a vehicle function (which
function may be identified by a suitable function-specific code),
authenticates the requestor, and if successfully authenticated and
if privileged to request the performance of the vehicle function,
executes the request notwithstanding a contrary command from the
vehicle operator. The requestor can, for example, be a vehicle
owner, a law enforcement authority, a vehicle manufacturer, a
lender having a loan collateralized by the vehicle, and the
like.
[0158] The installation supervisor 2044, for a newly installed
software and/or hardware and/or other device (such as an on-board
sensor, processing module 124 or component thereof, software
application, circuit board, expansion module 290 or component
thereof (which expansion module 290 may be hardware, software, or a
combination thereof), critical or non-critical device (such as
those discussed above with respect to the critical or non-critical
system controller(s) 2012 and 2016), cellular upgrade module (e.g.,
2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, or other cellular standard upgrade or
Subscriber Identity Module ("SIM") card, board, or other upgrade
module, and the like), determines whether the newly installed
component satisfies defined functional and/or source or reuse
requirements and/or restrictions for the component, license
restrictions, and other criteria, and, if satisfied, creates data
structures in the component (if it has a resident memory) and the
vehicle memory 220 to bind the component to the current
vehicle.
[0159] The media controller 1524 receives a media stream from a
remote node, identifies which input/output systems are disabled due
to operator command and/or as a result of governing law, and
provides the media stream to an input/output system associated with
the associated occupant.
[0160] The computational module selector 2052 identifies the
computational modules, particularly software applications,
currently available within the local area network of the vehicle,
the identification including not only the type (e.g., game,
multimedia, music, utility, and the like), source or vendor (e.g.,
Apple, Microsoft, and the like), capabilities and requirements
(e.g., operating system, processing, memory, display, and other
requirements) but also the version of the computational module, and
records this information in memory 220. The selector 2052 can
select not only, for duplicated computational modules, a most
current version of the duplicated module to execute and a
computational platform (e.g., first, second, . . . processing
module or external computational device 1532) for the
execution.
[0161] The presence reporting module 2056 considers local laws,
individual (contactee) context, and other factors in determining
whether an individual (contactee) is present (e.g., for unified
communications) and, if so, by what communication channel(s).
[0162] The social networking module 2070 creates, manages, and/or
maintains a social networking session with one or more other
vehicles. The social networking module 2070 can identify
operational vehicles having an occupant in a social networking
relationship with an occupant of the selected vehicle, notify one
or both occupants of the capability of instantiating a social
networking session, and effectuate and maintain such a session.
[0163] In one application, processing module 124 is configured to
process information sent over the CAN buses. As priority data is
received by processing module 124 from high-speed CAN bus interface
240 and/or low-speed CAN bus 250, processing module 124 may
determine the nature of the received data and independently do
further processing on the received data. In a preferred embodiment,
processor 210 executes instructions stored in memory 220 to perform
these functions. Further, memory 220 serves as stores and retrieves
for data by processor 210.
[0164] In one configuration, processing module 124 only receives
data over high-speed CAN bus 240 and may send the data back over
low-speed CAN bus 250. As the CAN bus provides arbitration-free
transmission, processing module 124 may passively listen to
information traffic, which includes priority data from the various
components as discussed, sent over high-speed CAN bus 240.
Processing module 124 then determines if a piece of received
information may need further processing and should be sent to
devices via low-speed CAN bus 250.
[0165] For example, collision sensor 132 may have detected a
frontal collision. In one data path, collision sensor 132 may send
a signal with details to the collision (i.e. areas of impact and/or
force and/or velocity of impact) over high-speed CAN bus 240 with
specific target to airbag release control unit 133 to potentially
deploy the airbags once airbag release control unit 133 determines
that it is suitable to do so upon the receipt of the sent data.
Since the CAN bus is arbitration-free, processing module 124 also
receives the collision information from collision sensor 132.
Processing module 124 then processes the information received to
determine to relay the information to an information display (i.e.,
display console of entertainment system 190) via the low speed CAN
bus 250.
[0166] It is noted that the data rate is limited in the current
implementations of the CAN bus. However, future implementations may
allow for higher speeds such that the CAN bus may support data rate
suitable for multimedia application. In these implementations,
processing module 200 may be configured to leverage the CAN bus for
multimedia use. For example, real-time multimedia information (i.e.
analog/digital radio or television signal) may be received by an
antenna and transmitted through a CAN bus via processing unit 200
to entertainment system 190. At some point in time, one component
of vehicle 100 may have suffered a malfunction that requires
information the driver. In the default implementation of the CAN
bus, the higher priority signal from the malfunctioning component
will have priority over the multimedia information. With the
leveraged CAN bus by processing module 200, the high priority
signal from the malfunctioning component can be further processed
by processor 210. If processor 210 determines that the malfunction
is minor, processor 210 may relay the malfunction information to
the low speed CAN bus 250 but being mixed in with the multimedia
information such that there is little disruption to playing backing
the multimedia information. Further, processor 210 may also
consider if the malfunction requires further processing such as
notification to a repair facility or emergency services.
[0167] In another configuration, processing module 200 may leverage
other buses such as the network interface 270 and/or wireless
interface 280 that have more bandwidth for the data. For example,
while the present implementation of the CAN bus would not support
multimedia information with any substantial bit rate, the network
interface 270 may be leveraged such that while CAN bus information
is received via the high speed CAN bus 240, multimedia information
is relayed separately via the network interface 270. This enables
the processing module 200 to implement the previous example
discussed involving relaying information regarding malfunctioning
component without waiting for a future implementation of the CAN
bus.
[0168] In another application, a processing module 124 may add
further expansion modules 290A-N for further capabilities. For
example, expansion modules 290A-N may contain a cellular telephony
module. The cellular telephony module can comprise a GSM, CDMA,
FDMA, or other digital cellular telephony transceiver and/or analog
cellular telephony transceiver capable of supporting voice,
multimedia and/or data transfers over a cellular network.
Additionally, expansion modules 290A-N can include other cellular
telephony modules from different providers or modes for other
wireless communications protocols. As examples, the modules for
other wireless communications protocols can include a Wi-Fi,
BLUETOOTH.TM., WiMax, infrared, or other wireless communications
link. The cellular telephony module and the other wireless
communications module can each be associated with a shared or a
dedicated antenna. Further, expansion modules 290A-N may also
include other wired bus modules that may connect to additional
essential and nonessential vehicle components that may be installed
or upgraded in the future. Processing modules 290A-N may contain
functions critical to the operation of the vehicle such as engine
control (ECU), transmission control (TCU), airbag control, various
sensors, or other operational or safety related components.
Further, processing modules 290 may take on more processing duties
from a vehicle component 310 connected to bus 380. Thus, processing
modules 124A-C benefits from redundancy in the case that one of
modules malfunctions. Further, in a vehicle collision, it is
expected that at least some of the processing modules may totally
malfunction. In these cases, the remaining processing modules may
take over limited or full processing duties of the malfunctioning
vehicle components 310 or processing modules 390A-C.
[0169] In one configuration, processor 210, memory 220, storage
230, and the bus interfaces 240-280 may also be expansion modules
similar to 290A-N. For example, processor 210 may be initially
implemented as an OMAP 4 processor. In the future, OMAP 5
processors may be developed and processor 210 may be upgraded as a
modular component.
[0170] In another application, processing module 124 is able to
support additional vehicle hardware and/or software components that
are added to the vehicle and is connected to processing module 124
via a bus. For example, vehicle 100 may have installed an
additional entertainment system. In one configuration, processing
module 124 can treat the additional component that is connected to
processing module 200 via a bus as an expansion module 290A-N.
[0171] In another configuration, the additional hardware and/or
software component may require further processing for it to work
with processing module 124. For example, the bus protocol may need
to be modified to support communicating with the additional
component because the additional component has capabilities beyond
the existing protocol (i.e., an extension to an existing bus
architecture). In one implementation, processing module 124 must
first check to ensure that the additional component complies with
OEM defined standards such that rogue components not recognized for
a particular vehicle would not be supported.
[0172] FIG. 15 depicts the vehicle 100 in communication, via first,
second, . . . networks 1504 a, b, . . . , with a remote node 1500,
such as a computational device, e.g., a server, mobile phone,
tablet computer, laptop computer, personal computer, and the like,
of the vehicle owner, law enforcement authority, insurance company,
vehicle or parts manufacturer/vendor (e.g., to provide vehicle
diagnostics, maintenance alerts, vehicle or part recall
notifications, and/or predictive analytics), a service provider
(e.g., a convenience service provider such as a service to connect
the vehicle operator with a dealer, a service to locate the
vehicle, a service to provide vehicle information and/or feature
assistance, an automotive navigation system service and a service
to start a vehicle (OnStar.TM. being an example), a location-based
service provider (e.g., traffic and/or weather reporting and/or
adviser on gas, accommodations, navigation, parking assistance,
and/or food), Internet content provider, software vendor, concierge
service provider, a processing module of another vehicle, a
roadside monitor, sign, beacon, and the like, to name a few.
[0173] The first, second, . . . networks1504a,b, . . . can be any
wireless network, such as a radio or cellular network (e.g., CDMA,
CDMA2000, AMPS, D-AMPS, TACS, ETACS, CSK, CDMAOne, GSM, EDGE, GPRS,
HSCSD, UMTS, WCDMA, HSPA, WIMAX, WIMAX ADVANCED, LTE ADVANCED, or
FDMA in accordance with the 1G, 2G, 2G transitional, 3G, 3G
transitional, 4G or 5G cellular network standards), a Wi Fi
network, a Bluetooth network, and the like.
[0174] The vehicle 100 includes a transceiver 1508 to send and
receive signals over a selected one of the first, second, . . .
networks 1504 a, b, . . . , a gateway/firewall 1512 to provide
secure connectivity between the various components of the vehicle
100 and the first, second, . . . networks 1504a, b, . . . , primary
and secondary processing modules 124a and b, memory/storage 220 or
230, on board sensors 1516 (discussed above with reference to FIG.
1), input/output system(s) 1520 and associated media controller
(discussed below) to manage and control the output presented by the
input/output system(s) to the user, network controller 1528 to
supervise local networks and nodes thereof and identify and, if
possible, isolate malfunctioning networks and/or nodes to avoid
detrimental impact on other networks and/or nodes of the vehicle
100, and external computational device(s) 1532 of occupants, such
as wireless capable mobile phones, personal digital assistants,
tablet computers, laptop computers, and the like. As will be
appreciated, the logic for the gateway/firewall 1512, media
controller 1524 and network controller 1528 can be contained within
memory/storage 220, 330. The various components are connected by a
bus, wireless network, or combination thereof (denoted by reference
1536).
[0175] The gateway/firewall can be any suitable module that can
maintain secure connectivity. The need for the gateway/firewall is
necessitated by the assignment of a wireless data network address,
such as defined by IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), with the
corresponding processing module 124. As will be appreciated, IPv6
addresses, as commonly displayed to users, consist of eight groups
of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons, for example
2001:0db8:85a3:0042:0000:8a2e:0370:7334.
[0176] Each processing module 124 can have an independent network
address or use a common network address. The gateway can be any
module equipped for interfacing with another network that uses one
or more different communication protocols. The firewall can use any
technique to maintain security, including network address
translation, network layer or packet filtration, application-layer
firewall, and the like.
[0177] FIG. 16 depicts an exemplary input/output architecture for
the vehicle 100. The architecture includes first, second, . . . nth
input/output systems 1600a-n, the media controller 1524, display
controller(s) 1604 to receive user input via the input/output
system(s) and configure the output presented by the input/output
system(s) to the user, audio controller(s) 1608 to control audio
output to the user, and rule sets 1612 (stored in memory/storage
220, 230) to regulate corresponding features/functions of the
vehicle 100, particularly the information and/or other output
provided to each occupant by a respective input/output system.
Generally, each of the multiple occupants has a separate and
corresponding input/output system 1600. For example, each seat 148
can have a corresponding input/output system 1600.
[0178] As can be appreciated, the functionality disclosed herein
may be affected by the geographical location and/or movement of a
vehicle. A vehicle may cross a jurisdictional line where different
laws exist that concern behavior in or about vehicles. These laws
may be stored, as one or more rule set(s) 1612, in a database
on-board and/or remotely accessible by the vehicle. A vehicle may
use its location-based features to determine the appropriate
applicable laws and enable or disable certain features to a user.
For example, in the event that an individual crosses a state line
where the local laws prohibit texting while driving, the vehicle
may disable texting for the vehicle operator. This blocking would
not prevent others in a vehicle from texting, and if allowed may
provide for the operator to continue to send voice-activated texts,
etc. Movement and location of the vehicle may be determined using
location-based features as described herein. Moreover, to prevent
false blocking of features, a specific user device position may be
determined by sensors on the device, sensors in the vehicle, and/or
combinations thereof. Although described with reference to blocking
the texting ability of a specific user, it can be appreciated that
the ability to surf the Internet, view photos, access streaming
content, and other predetermined distractions may also be
disabled.
[0179] For an additional external computational device 1532 that
connects to processing module 124 via wireless interface 280, a
secured connection protocol is needed. Unlike a wired bus
connection, which is generally electronically confined to vehicle
100, a wireless connection via wireless interface 280 may be
broadcast to other communication systems within the vicinity of
vehicle 100. Thus, other wireless communication hardware, systems,
and networks might be able to communicate with the communication
system of the vehicle 100. This ability is potentially a security
hazard.
[0180] To resolve this issue, wireless security rules should be
used to ensure that only trusted devices, such as the external
computational device 1532, communicate wirelessly, via the wireless
interface 280, with the on board vehicle components through the
wireless interface 280. Such security is provided by the
gateway/firewall 1512 applying known security algorithms. In one
implementation, wireless security may be implemented by the
gateway/firewall 1512 using the current security setup in the
802.11 standard such as Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi
Protected Access (WPA) or other security systems as known in the
art. OEMs may also choose to implement security by using a
propriety security system and/or wireless protocol to work with the
in-vehicle wireless communication network.
[0181] Upgrading the vehicle 100 using different processing modules
and/or other on board components, such as on board sensors 1516,
can be done securely and seamlessly. A limit may be imposed on the
place and manner in which an additional component communicating via
the in-vehicle wireless network may be added to the vehicle 100.
For example, installation of the additional component may only be
available at an automobile shop or may even more limited to only in
OEM approved shops or dealership to ensure that the newly installed
component is fully tested to communicate only with vehicle 100 and
not with other adjacent vehicles.
[0182] To facilitate this process, a handshake procedure may be
used during the initial installation of the component. In one
implementation, an OEM approved shop may have codes that will allow
the new component to accept a link with vehicle 100. During this
handshake procedure, vehicle 100 and its relevant components, such
as processing module 200, may negotiate a protocol and/or security
settings to communicate with the new component. For example, a
symmetric or asymmetric code or key pair may be developed for
encrypting communications. Alternatively, codes for WEP, WPA, or
other security systems as known in the art may be developed for
secured communication. After this initial handshake procedure, the
new component and vehicle 100 will not have to do any further
security setup in the future to prevent leaking the secured codes.
In a further implementation, the new component is considered
married or bound to vehicle 100 and may not communicate with any
other vehicles unless unmarried or unbound when the component is
removed at an approved shop. The dedication of the component to the
vehicle may be done by using a unique code, such as a serial number
of the component or vehicle, to enable a type of routine licensing
compliance check when the car is activated. This can be done, for
example, by comparing a unique code received by the installed
component from another vehicle component or by the other vehicle
component from the installed component. The licensing check is
successful when the received code matches a code stored in memory
of the receiving device.
[0183] In another configuration, the additional, or installed,
component may also communicate wirelessly with other vehicle
components of vehicle 100 without needed processing module 200 to
relay any communication. This may be done by sharing a vehicle
encryption scheme and code for the wireless use. This may be useful
for emergency purposes (i.e. the police may have a need to control
certain components in a vehicle).
[0184] Operation of Arbitration and Health Check Modules 2000 and
2008
[0185] The processing modules 124 can use any of a variety of
techniques to determine relative status and/or processing role of
each. For example, under one technique a token is passed to signify
the active or passive processing module or the processing module
performing a specified set of processing operations. The processing
module in possession of the token at any one time has the status
and/or is responsible for the set of processing operations
associated with the token. Rules may be used to arbitrate between
the processing modules when each asserts ownership and/or
non-ownership of the token.
[0186] By way of illustration, the processing modules 124 can
determine which module is active and which is standby by employing
the following rules. Upon detection of a selected stimulus (e.g.,
at vehicle start-up, processing module power-up, and/or
periodically during vehicle or processing module operation), the
health check module 2008 in each processing module 124 runs
self-tests or queries the health check module 2008 other processing
module 124 to perform selected computational tasks and provide the
result. The processing modules 124 thus exchange messages with each
other. Based on the results of its self-test (or queried tests),
each processing module 124 decides whether it can become active. If
so, the processing module 124 asserts an available signal to an
arbitration module 2000, which propagates the signal to the other
processing module 124. The arbitration module 2000, applying rules,
chooses the active processing module 124 and forwards the token to
the selected processing module 124, along with an interrupt. Rules
may include a default selection, an ordered, random or pseudorandom
periodic change in which processing module 124 is active and which
is standby, which processing module 124 is healthier (or has a
higher state of health score, the relative capabilities of the
processing modules 124 (with the more capable processing module
being active), and the like. The arbitration module 2000 propagates
a token non-ownership signal to the other processing module 124,
along with an interrupt. Each processing module 124, in response,
sets its status in memory to "primary" or "standby". If the active
processing module 124 is removed, powered down, or voluntarily
de-asserts ownership or possession of the token, the standby
processing module immediately receives the available token 2004,
along with an interrupt. It then assumes, and records in memory,
the primary state.
[0187] In one variation, arbitration is performed by the
arbitration module 2000 using a health check procedure 400 shown in
FIG. 4.
[0188] Health check procedure 400 by the health check module 2008
is one way in which each processing modules 124A-C may self-check
to determine a respective state of health (e.g., if the processing
modules remains fully functional or is only partially functional).
Health check procedure 400 may be activated by each processing
module 124 or one of the other processing modules 124 at a certain
time interval or may be manually activated by user (i.e. a user
directly activating the module or whenever the ignition is
started). Health check procedure 400 may also be continuous running
while the vehicle 300 is running to ensure the fastest response
time in case a collision occurs resulting in an immediate loss of
processing functions.
[0189] In step 410, the health check module 2008 in each processing
module 124 performs a health check on its critical tasks, functions
or operations of which losing one would result in a potentially
critical loss to vehicle operation. As discussed previously, the
critical tasks, functions or operations may include, for example
(depending on the particular vehicle), monitoring, controlling,
and/or operating a critical system. Health check 410 may involve
procedures such as testing or monitoring that each critical
function or operation is operating within predetermined or selected
operating parameters and/or causing each critical component (safety
equipment, selected sensors, engine, power steering, and/or brakes)
to operate within selected operating parameters. In some
configurations, a critical system, such as the ECU, may include
both critical (i.e. engine failure) and non-critical tasks or
functions (i.e. minor oil leak). Health check 410 may be configured
to check only the critical tasks or functions.
[0190] In pass test check 411, if any malfunction to a critical
task, function or operation is detected, the procedure activates
hand-off procedure in step 440, which will be discussed with
reference to FIG. 5. In one variation, a cumulative score is
computed for all critical tasks, functions, and operations. The
individual scores of the tasks, functions, and operations and
cumulative score for the processing module is provided to the
arbitration module 2000, which compares both sets of scores for the
two processing modules 124 and selects and designates the healthier
of the two processing modules 124 as the primary or active
processing module 124.
[0191] If the processing module 124 passes test check 411, health
check on non-critical tasks, functions or operations 420 is
performed. Non-critical tasks, functions or operations may include,
for example (depending on the particular vehicle) monitoring,
controlling, and/or operating a non-critical system. In step 420,
health check is done on various functions of the non-critical
system, with each function having a score for passing the health
check. The score may be adjusted according to the level
non-criticality of the system. For example, an emissions control
unit, while it may be non-critical to vehicle operation, may
nonetheless be fairly important so as to comply with environmental
regulations; therefore an emissions control unit could be weighted
a comparatively high score for passing. In contrast, an
entertainment system's failure may not be deemed to be important
(except for operator/occupant inconvenience) and may be weighted
with a relatively low score for passing.
[0192] In step 421, the score is tabulated for all non-critical
systems and compared to see if it is above a certain threshold. If
the score is below the threshold, a hand-off procedure is activated
in step 450. For example, if emissions control by the processing
module 124 is detected to be failing, causing or potentially
causing harmful gas emissions to rise significantly above the legal
limit, health check 421 may give a very low score to this
non-critical system. Therefore, even if the entertainment system is
working perfectly, health check may still give a score that is
below the threshold and hand-off procedure will be activated.
[0193] In one configuration, the score weight for each non-critical
system may be defined dynamically according to the location of the
vehicle or other factors. For example, vehicle-use laws may affect
how a non-critical system should be weighted (i.e. the stringency
of emissions law, noise control law, or other laws in one area).
Thus, vehicle-use laws may be provided by an organization,
governmental entity, group, individual, and/or combinations
thereof. The laws may be stored locally or retrieved from a
remotely located storage. The vehicle-in-use laws may be statutes
and/or regulations that are enforced by a government entity, such
as a city, municipality, county, province, state, country, and the
like. These laws may define vehicle, traffic, transportation,
and/or safety rules associated with a given geographical region. An
exemplary vehicle-in-use law governs texting, cellular phone use,
and video availability to the operator when the car is in motion
and the like). The laws may be updated from time to time to, among
other things, account for changes in the laws. Thus, a first task,
operation, or function may be critical in a first geographic
location but noncritical in a different second geographic location.
Likewise, a first task, operation, or function may be non-critical
and have a first score (if operating properly) in a first
geographic location but be non-critical and have a lower second
score (if operating properly) in a second geographic location.
[0194] In step 430, if the score for non-critical systems is above
the threshold, the active processing module 124 may be continued to
be used as the active processor. In one variation, a cumulative
score is computed for all non-critical tasks, functions, and
operations. The individual scores of the tasks, functions, and
operations and cumulative score for the processing module is
provided to the arbitration module, which compares both sets of
scores for the two processing modules and selects and designates
the healthier of the two processing modules as the primary or
active processing module.
[0195] The operation of a an arbitration module 2000 procedure 500
for a processing module will now be discussed with reference to
FIG. 5.
[0196] The arbitration module 2000 can activate a token arbitration
procedure 500 by steps 440 and 450 (FIG. 4) where either (a) the
one or more critical tasks, functions, and operations has failed
health check or (b) where one or more non-critical tasks,
functions, and operations has not tabulated enough score to
represent that the selected processing module is healthy enough for
processing. Arbitration may be based on an absolute and/or relative
state-of-health.
[0197] In step 510, a health check is performed, by a respective
health check module 2008, on each processing module 124 and the
pass/fail results and scoring information reported to the other
processing modules 124 and/or the arbitration module 2000.
[0198] In step 514, the arbitration module 2000 selects a next
processing module 124 (until all are considered) and proceeds to
decision diamond 518.
[0199] In decision diamond 518, the arbitration module 2000
determines whether the selected processing module 124 passes the
health test on set of critical tasks, functions, and operations. If
so, the arbitration module 2000 proceeds to decision diamond
524.
[0200] In decision diamond 524, the arbitration module 2000
determines whether the selected processing module 124 passes the
health test on set of non-critical tasks, functions, and
operations. If so, the arbitration module 2000 proceeds to step
528.
[0201] In step 528, the arbitration module 2000 creates or updates
data structures indicating that the selected processing module 124
is healthy and recording the selected processing module's
respective scoring information. Optionally, the arbitration module
2000 can determine and record the relative state-of-health of the
selected processing module 124 relative to other processing
modules.
[0202] When the selected processing module 124 fails to pass one or
more sets of critical tasks, functions, and operations (decision
diamond 518) or non-critical tasks, functions, and operations
(decision diamond 524), the arbitration module 2000 proceeds to
step 532 and creates or updates data structures indicating that the
selected processing module 124 is unhealthy and recording the
selected processing module's respective scoring information.
Optionally, the arbitration module 2000 can determine and record
the relative state-of-health of the selected processing module 124
relative to other processing modules.
[0203] After performing steps 528 or 532, as appropriate, and when
no processing module 124 remains to be analyzed, the arbitration
module 2000 proceeds to decision diamond 536. In decision diamond
536, the arbitration module 2000 determines whether a healthy
processing module 124 is available and, when available, designates,
in step 540, the healthiest (based on absolute or relative
state-of-health or both) processing module 124 as the active
processing module 124 (or, in an active-active configuration, as
being primarily responsible for handling critical tasks, functions,
and operations).
[0204] When no healthy processing module 124 is available, the
arbitration module 2000 implements emergency measures, activates an
alarm indicating that there is currently no available healthy
processing module 124, and reports the alarm to the user and/or a
remote node 1500, such as the vendor, manufacturer, servicing
entity, roadside service, and the like.
[0205] The emergency measures implemented can vary by application.
In one application, the emergency measure is to identify which
processing module 124 is healthy to perform each set of critical
and optionally non-critical tasks, functions and operations. If a
healthy processing module exists for each set of critical and
optionally non-critical tasks, functions and operations, the
arbitration module 2000 assigns each set of critical and optionally
non-critical tasks, functions, and operations to a processing
module 124 having a sufficiently high health score (e.g., above a
selected threshold) to perform the selected set of critical and
optionally non-critical tasks, functions and operations. Where
multiple processing modules are healthy enough to perform the
selected set of critical and optionally non-critical tasks,
functions and operations, the arbitration module 2000 can select
the processing module having the highest health score for the
selected set of critical and optionally non-critical tasks,
functions and operations and/or having the highest available or
unused processing units or resources to perform the selected set of
critical and optionally non-critical tasks, functions and
operations. Where no processing module 124 is healthy to perform a
selected set of critical and optionally non-critical tasks,
functions and operations, the selected set of critical and
optionally non-critical tasks, functions, and operations can be
performed by a remote node, via first, second, . . . network 1504a,
b, . . . . The remote node 1500 can be, for example, the vendor,
manufacturer, servicing entity, roadside service, and the like. In
one application, the critical and optionally non-critical tasks,
functions, and operations are performed by a remote node 1500, via
first, second, . . . network 1504a, b, . . . , rather than by a
local or on board processing module 124.
[0206] An important aspect of an active-standby configuration can
be how to maintain synchronicity between the active and standby
processing modules to enable "hot" hand-offs, which can be
particularly important for automotive applications, without loss of
memory as to the current operational state of the vehicle and its
component tasks, functions, and operations. One technique is to
have the standby processing module 124 perform "shadow" processing
in which it receives all input received by the active processing
module 124 and performs the same processing tasks, functions, and
operations as the active processing module 124. The assumption is
that the two processing modules 124 have identical processing rates
and therefore, at any one time, precisely duplicate the other as to
processing state of completion as to any task, function, and/or
operation. Due to varying processing loads on the processing
modules, delays in signal transmissions, and other factors, this
assumption may or may not be true. Another technique is to have the
standby processing module 124 receive, and store in memory 220,
time-stamped processing state information from the active
processing module 124. The time-stamped processing state
information relates to any processing task, function or operation
currently being performed by the active processing module 124 and
the results thereof. A potential issue with this approach is
latency between the current and reported states of the active
processing module 124. Another technique is a combination of the
foregoing techniques. In this technique, the standby processing
module 124 performs "shadow processing" but periodically checks its
processing state information against the time-stamped processing
state information received from the active processing module 124
and resets, alters, or updates its state information to reflect the
received processing state information. Where a processing string is
being performed correctly, it does not typically need to be revised
to reflect a potentially earlier point reflected in the received
and time stamped state information (which may be delayed). A reset
to an earlier point in the processing string may be appropriate
where the standby processing module 124 is too far ahead of the
active processing module 124. The primary purpose of this combined
approach is to confirm processing accuracy by the standby
processing module 124 and to keep the standby processing module 124
from getting too far in advance of the active processing module 124
in processing information.
[0207] Operation of Remote Control Module 2040
[0208] FIG. 27 depicts a particular configuration of a remote node
1500. The remote node 1500, configured as a central repository for
vehicle information, includes a server 2700 and associated database
2704. The remote node 1500 is in wireless communication, via
network 1504, with first, second, . . . nth vehicles 100a-n.
Currently, car drivers have the option to sign up for a service
like General Motors OnStar.RTM. to remotely unlock cars, and
provide other features such as remote start, tracking vehicles,
and/or locking cars, etc.
[0209] In some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to a
central repository 2704 that can be used in conjunction with an
individual vehicle. The central repository may be stored remotely
(as shown) or on-board the vehicle. In the event that the central
repository is stored remotely, it may be supervised by a law
enforcement agency, or secure administrative agency. It is
anticipated that strong security procedures may be employed to
avoid hacker attacks, especially if stored at a remote central
repository like the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), or other
security-approved location. In the event that a vehicle is stolen,
the true owner of a vehicle may prove ownership to the central
repository and locate, lock, shutdown, etc. the vehicle.
[0210] In another embodiment, a police device may communicate to
another vehicle to slowly reduce that vehicle's speed, shutdown the
engine, cut power, etc. The communication can be securely effected
using unique codes or other cryptographic techniques. Moreover, the
communication may be through a server associated with a central
repository. It is anticipated that the module controlling these
functions is securely guarded and designed to prevent hacking
attempts.
[0211] The operation of a system stand-by procedure 600 implemented
by a remote control module 2040 and/or other component of a
processing module 124 will now be discussed with reference to FIG.
6. Stand-by procedure 600 may be activated when the selected
processing module 124 transitions from active to standby or standby
to active or in response to a command from the operator or the
remote node 1500. In one configuration, stand-by procedure 600 may
also be activated manually by the driver of the vehicle or by
another third party. For example, the driver or another third party
may wish to disable certain aspects of vehicle 300 (i.e., the
driver may wish to disable certain functions, either critical or
non-critical, of the vehicle to prevent another user of the
vehicle, such as a valet, from accessing them, a third party, which
may be the police or a theft prevention service such as On-Star,
may wish to disable a stolen vehicle or a vehicle which is
otherwise in violation of the law).
[0212] Manual activation of stand-by procedure 600 may be done
locally or remotely. For local activation, an additional component
in the form of a switch may be added and connected to the
processing module via a bus or as a expansion module 290A-N. The
driver may then manually activate the switch as needed.
[0213] Most likely, manual activation of stand-by procedure 600 is
done remotely (i.e. by the police, theft prevention service, or the
owner of the vehicle at a remote location). As such, in one
implementation, the corresponding processing module may be accessed
via a non-physical bus such as by wireless interface 280. However,
this is not the preferred method. As discussed previously, vehicle
components communicating with a processing module wirelessly should
only work with a secured scheme. The in-vehicle wireless network
should not be accessible to third parties for further security
purposes. A direct access to the in-vehicle wireless bus would
defeat these principles. The wireless interface 280 may have a
limited range such that connection and control can only be effected
within the vicinity of the vehicle. Nevertheless, this
implementation may be useful in cases where there is an emergency
that is within the vicinity of the vehicle (i.e., emergency road
closure) that requires a third party such as the police to disable
passing vehicles for safety reasons. In such cases, the authorized
third party may activates codes that bypasses securities of the
in-vehicle wireless network that is normally off-limit and directly
access the processing module. In another implementation, the
vehicle may have a cellular or satellite communication component
that has the capability of accessing an outside cellular or other
communication network. Alternatively, this communication component
may be installed as an additional expansion module 290A-N as
discussed previously. Access to processing module is granted
through a valid security verification within this component.
Therefore, access to the processing module using this
implementation does not require open access to the in-vehicle
wireless bus.
[0214] In another configuration, stand-by procedure 600 may also be
activated by a control system within the vehicle when some
automated condition is met. For example, a leased or rental car
company may wish to limit the geographical location where the
vehicle can be driven. The vehicle may be automatically disabled if
it is detected that the vehicle has left the allowed zone of
operation (i.e. detected via a GPS).
[0215] In step 601, the method confirms if any critical subsystem
would be unavailable. As discussed above, a critical subsystem may
be unavailable because it did not pass the health check, because it
was disabled by the driver or a third party, or because some
automated condition has been met.
[0216] If critical subsystems are unavailable, step 610 performs
general vehicle stand-by. In one configuration, general vehicle
stand-by disables all components of the vehicle rendering the
vehicle unusable. However, this may lead to safety issues where a
sudden shut-down of the vehicle while operating on the road may be
hazardous to both the driver of the vehicle and other vehicle on
the road. In another configuration, general vehicle stand-by
performs a shut-down of non-critical systems while placing a limit
on critical system designed to bring the vehicle to stop. For
example, a speed limiter may limit the speed of the vehicle to a
minimal speed so that the vehicle can be bought to a safe stop
subsequently but cannot operate effectively. After the vehicle is
brought to a stop, general shut-down that disables all components
of the vehicle may be performed.
[0217] In step 620, an alarm is activated to inform about the
status of a general stand-by. Here, similar to step 540, an alarm
is normally sent to at least components like display 144 or
entertainment system 190 of vehicle 100 via a reliable bus such as
the high speed CAN bus to inform the driver of the generally
stand-by. In one implementation, an alarm may also be sent to a
remote node 1500, such as a service or maintenance provider, e.g.,
a nearby or a default car repair facility with possible system
diagnosis information, emergency services if it is detected that a
emergency affecting road safety has occurred, and/or to car
manufacturers for data collection and other purposes.
[0218] If critical subsystems are not unavailable in step 601, the
method further confirms if any non-critical subsystem is
unavailable 602. If any of the non-critical subsystem is indeed
unavailable, the method performs specific stand-by on the specific
subsystem 630.
[0219] Specific stand-by 630 involves performing stand-by only for
a specific non-critical subsystem. For example, if entertainment
system 190 malfunctions, entertainment system 190 can be safely
turned off without affecting the operation of the vehicle. However,
some non-critical functions may be affected such as an alarm
function announcing certain information that is pre-disposed to be
announced by entertainment system 190. In this case, specific
stand-by 630 may include rerouting the information to display 144,
perhaps with the information to be presented in abbreviated form to
ensure the information will be presentable on display 144. Specific
stand-by 630 for entertainment system 190 may also involve
rerouting information to other perceptible methods such as by light
or sound.
[0220] In step 640, the method activates an alarm to information
driver and third-party services of specific subsystem stand-by
similar to step 620.
[0221] FIG. 9 depicts a method of operation of the remote control
module 2040. There are a number of examples of operation by a
remote control module 2040.
[0222] In one example, a police officer or other law enforcement
authority and/or rule trap sensor can "ping" an automobile for
information relating to its speed and driving conditions. By
comparing this received data from the automobile to known data
relating to stop signs, speed limits, and the like, a decision can
be made on whether the law has been broken. For example, the sensor
itself may not necessarily determine the speed of a vehicle. The
sensor asks the vehicle to respond to the sensor with the vehicle's
speed and possibly other information. Therefore, the speed
detection is achieved through responding to a sensor's question and
the vehicle's answer. It is anticipated that a specific sensor may
use alternate detection methods to verify the accuracy of a
received signal. For instance, if a vehicle is asked to respond
with a current speed value, and does so, the sensor may send a
radar signal to verify the response. If the response does not match
the verification signal, a note is made of the anomaly and the data
is recorded. This data may be used by law enforcement to later
identify vehicles that are malfunctioning and/or have been
compromised. The identity of the car, including serial number,
owner identity (e.g., name, home address, contact information,
driver's license number, insurance information (e.g., name and
address of insurance company, owner's insurance policy
identification, and coverage limits), and the like), and/or
licensing information (e.g., license plate number) can be provided
by the vehicle to the requestor.
[0223] In another example, a law enforcement authority, owner, or
other privileged entity may request a critical or non-critical
task, function or operation to be disabled or behave in a selected
manner. For instance, a law enforcement officer can cause the
vehicle to decelerate in a high speed pursuit or, for a high speed
pursuit or stolen car, can disable the engine.
[0224] In another example, a remote node 1500, such as a law
enforcement authority, an insurance company, an intelligent sign or
traffic signal, a roadside monitor, or the owner himself or herself
requests historic or current vehicle operating information, such as
speed, and/or information received by the vehicle from an external
source, such as a stop light, speed limit sign, yield or stop sign,
and the like. This information can be compared to identify poor
driving practices and/or breaking of the law. It can also be used
in accident reconstruction to determine who is at fault in an
automobile accident where vehicle operators frequently dishonestly
represent who is at fault. Currently, responsible drivers pay
inflated insurance premiums because the insurance industry cannot
guaranty a particular driver's adherence to the law or general
driving behavior. To address this concern, current insurance
companies may allow a driver to install a device in a vehicle to
randomly monitor behavior. This device can only monitor certain
functions and requires the installation of a device separate from
the vehicle's ecosystem. The present disclosure is directed to
using various data compiled by the system to analyze factors
contributing to an individual's driving behavior and/or habits. In
the event that an individual wishes to receive better insurance
rates for responsible driving, a lower quantity of driving, or
other good driving indicators, the driver may agree to provide
insurance tracking information. The insurance tracking system may
consider GPS and other location-based information (to compare
actual speed with speed limit data), g-force sensors (to detect
rapid acceleration, hard turns, etc.), perimeter sensors (to detect
close-calls, inattention while changing lanes, etc), in order to
determine conformance with the good-driving terms established by an
insurance company. Because the device may be integrated, and/or
associated, with the vehicle's ecosystem total behavioral data may
be recorded and sent in real-time to a receiving module. Moreover,
the system may detect the user and provide accurate information for
each user of a vehicle.
[0225] Referring to FIG. 9, the remote control module 2040, in step
900, receives a request to command a vehicle task, function and/or
operation and/or to transmit specified information to the
requestor.
[0226] In step 904, the remote control module 2040 attempts to
authenticate the requestor. User authentication is a way of
identifying a user and verifying that the user is allowed to access
some restricted service. Authentication can be performed by, for
example, by encrypted symmetric or asymmetric key exchange, public
and private key cryptography, a secure remote password,
multi-factor authentication (e.g., three major factors include
verification by something a user knows (such as a password or PIN),
something the user has (such as a smart card, ATM card, or a
security token), and something the user is (such as the use of
biometrics, such as a fingerprint or retina scan)), time-based
authentication, a unique digital identity, closed-loop
authentication, access control service, and the like.
[0227] Control then passes to decision diamond 908 where the remote
control module determines whether authentication was successful.
When authentication is successful, the remote control module, in
decision diamond 912, determines whether the requestor is
privileged to make the request. In other words, a first requestor
is entitled to a first set of privileges with respect to access to
vehicle information and/or control of vehicle tasks, functions, and
operations while a second requestor is entitled to a different
second set of privileges with respect to access to vehicle
information and/or control of vehicle tasks, functions, and
operations. A law enforcement entity or vehicle owner, for example,
will generally have a highest level of privilege (enabling broad
access to vehicle information and/or control of vehicle tasks,
functions, and operations) while an insurance company or servicing
entity will not have the highest level of privilege.
[0228] When the requestor is entitled to make the request, the
remote control module, in step 916, executes or causes execution of
the request in accordance with rules governing what the privilege
accorded the requestor, which may override operator and/or other
occupant commands.
[0229] When the requestor is not entitled to make the request, the
remote control module, in step 920, ignores the request and logs in
memory 220 the information surrounding the request, e.g., the
identity of the requestor, the time stamp of the request, and the
request itself.
[0230] Operation of Computational Module Selector 2052
[0231] The operation of a processor off-load procedure 700 by
computational module selector 2052 one or more processing module(s)
will now be discussed with reference to FIG. 7. This operation is
particularly beneficial in an active-active configuration but may
be used in an active-standby configuration. As discussed with
respect to vehicle 300 of FIG. 3, some configurations of expansion
modules 290A-C may require processor off-load to share processing
functions of tasks among a number of expansion modules in a common
host processing module 124 or across different processing modules
124. For example, a first expansion module 290A and/or host
processing module 124 may be specialized for critical functions
while a different second expansion module 290B and/or host
processing module 124 is specialized for non-critical functions. In
an event where the first expansion module 290A and/or its host
processing module 124 loses some processing power, the first
expansion module 290A and/or its host processing module 124 may be
able to off-load some critical function to second expansion module
290B and/or its host processing module 124.
[0232] In step 701, the method continuously checks if a next
processing module, expansion module, and/or external computational
device(s) 1532 (in wireless communication with the network
controller 1528 via the gateway/firewall 1512) is available with
excess processing power. If a next processing module, expansion
module, and/or external computational device(s) 1532 is not
available, the method will check at some time interval later to see
if a new processing module, expansion module, and/or external
computational device(s) 1532 would have a change in a number of
available and/or unavailable processing power units and/or
bandwidth. Other stimuli for this step 701 include a user request
to initiate execution of an application, notification of a
processing resource having unused bandwidth below a selected
threshold, notification of a processing resource having used
bandwidth above a selected threshold, a power level of a processing
resource falling below a selected threshold, notification of a
processing resource having an operational error, malfunction, or
outage, and the like.
[0233] If a next processing module, expansion module, and/or
external computational device(s) 1532 is available, the method
confirms with the next processing module, expansion module, and/or
external computational device(s) 1532 on its available processing
power units and/or bandwidth for a task 710. Other factors
considered in determining whether a selected processing module,
expansion module, and/or external computational device is available
include not only the processing resources available but also the
application and operating system requirements as compared to the
capabilities of the selected processing module, expansion module,
and/or external computational device and power level in the
selected processing module, expansion module, and/or external
computational device. In one configuration, processing module,
expansion module, and/or external computational device(s) 1532 may
be distinguished depending on the type of processing needed. For
example, a critical function might not be suitable for a processing
module that deals only with non-critical functions and vice versa
due to safety, security, or other concerns. In other
configurations, a critical function might look for a processing
module that is tasked with a disproportionally high non-critical
function load to balance the processing load.
[0234] If the selected processing module, expansion module, and/or
external computational device(s) 1532 is available to process a
given task, function or operation 710, the task is off-loaded to
the selected processing module, expansion module, and/or external
computational device(s) 1532.
[0235] If the selected processing module, expansion module, and/or
external computational device(s) 1532 is not available to process a
given task, function or operation 710, the procedure continues to
check if any other processing module, expansion module, and/or
external computational device(s) 1532 is available 702. If there is
a different processing module, expansion module, and/or external
computational device(s) 1532 available, the method returns to step
701.
[0236] If there is no other processing module, expansion module,
and/or external computational device(s) 1532 available, the method
informs the active processing module, expansion module, and/or
external computational device(s) 1532 of no available offload
capacity 730. In one configuration, the active processing module
may decide to drop the task that it is unable to handle. The active
processing module, expansion module, and/or external computational
device(s) 1532 may also decide to return to step 701 to continue to
check for a next available processing module, expansion module,
and/or external computational device(s) 1532.
[0237] A further set of operations for the computational module
selector 2052 will now be discussed with reference to FIG. 23. This
set of operations identifies, for a selected computational module,
such as an expansion module, software application, or other
computational module, which processing modules or external
computational device(s) 1532 contain the selected computational
module for purposes of computational module selection. While the
prior flow chart depicts a method to balance processing load
amongst plural processing devices, the present flow chart selects
which duplicative computational module should perform a request by
a user.
[0238] In step 2300, the computational module selector 2052 detects
a stimulus. Exemplary stimuli include a user or operator request to
initiate a computational module and/or perform a selected task,
function, or operation, an interrupt based on a passage of a
predetermined time, installation of a computational module, a
request by a different user to use a platform currently executing
the computational module, notification of a processing resource
having unused bandwidth below a selected threshold, notification of
a processing resource having used bandwidth above a selected
threshold, a power level of a processing resource falling below a
selected threshold, notification of a processing resource having an
operational error, malfunction, or outage, and the like.
[0239] In step 2304, the computational module selector 2052, in
step 2308, determines duplicated computational modules and the host
processing platform(s) therefor. Host processing platforms can
include a processing module, expansion module, and/or external
computational device(s) 1532. Duplication may be for a specific
computational device (e.g., from a common vendor and commonly
named) or for a common type of computational device. For example,
duplication may be determined for the differing versions of
automotive navigation system applications GPS Drive.TM. by
MotionX.TM., Garmin GPS.TM., Magellan GPS.TM., Tomtom GPS.TM., and
other SPS systems or for all navigation applications generally
regardless of vendor, application identity, or version.
[0240] In step 2312, the computational module selector 2052 selects
a computational module and platform to execute each duplicated
computational module. For example, if an occupant requests, by an
input/output system of the vehicle, a game or multimedia
application and if different versions of the game or multimedia
application are on a processing module 124 and external
computational device(s) 1532, the computational module selector
2052 can select the most recent version of the game or multimedia
application and host platform containing same, regardless of
whether the host platform is a processing module or external
computational device 1532 currently in communication with a
processing module and by what device, whether an input/output
system or user interface of the external computational device 1532
receiving the request. If the request were to be received by an
input/output system 1600 to initiate a game and the most recent
version of the game were located on a processing module, the
processing module would be selected to execute the game and output
would be provided to an occupant by the corresponding input/output
system 1600. If the request were to be received by an input/output
system 1600 to initiate a game and the most recent version of the
game were located on an external computational device 1532, the
external computational device 1532 would be selected to execute the
game and output would be provided to processing module for
presentation to an occupant by the occupant's input/output system
1600. If the request were to be received by an external
computational device 1532 to initiate a game and the most recent
version of the game were located on a processing module, the
processing module would be selected to execute the game and output
would be provided to an occupant by the external computational
device 1532. If the request were to be received by external
computational device 1532 to initiate a game and the most recent
version of the game were located on the external computational
device 1532, the external computational device 1532 would be
selected to execute the game and output would be provided to
processing module for presentation to an occupant by the external
computational device 1532.
[0241] In decision diamond 2316, the processing module, or external
computational device 1532, by the user interface receiving the
stimulus, whether an input/output system or the user interface of
the external computational device 1532, queries the user whether or
not the older versions of the computational module should be
updated to the newer locally available or newest remotely available
version.
[0242] If no or a negative response is received, the computational
module selector 2352 proceeds to decision diamond 2324.
[0243] If a positive response is received, the computational module
selector 2052, in step 2320, requests the host platform to upgrade
the computational module.
[0244] In decision diamond 2324, the computational module selector
2052 determines whether the selected platform is currently
available to execute the computational module. The selected
platform may currently be executing other computational modules and
have insufficient available processing resources for execution. The
computational module selector 2052, in that event, would attempt to
off load some of the processing to another platform to free up
sufficient processing resources for execution. In other words, the
computational module selector 2052 would perform processing load
balancing to more optimally use processing resources. A user may
currently be using the selected platform, such as engaged in a call
if the selected platform is a cellular phone or watching multimedia
content. The computational module selector 2052 would determine if
the platform can request the user for permission to use the
platform for processing the computational module. When the user is
on a call, such a request cannot be made. If a request can be made,
the user is requested. The platform is only deemed to be available
when the user provides input indicating availability.
[0245] When the platform is not available, the computational module
selector 2052 in step 2328 selects a next available platform even
though the platform may contain an older version of the
computational module.
[0246] When the selected module is currently available or when the
computational module selector 2052 selects a different platform in
step 2328, the computational module selector in step 2328,
initiates execution, by the selected platform, of the computational
module.
[0247] Operation of Network Controller 1528
[0248] FIG. 24 depicts another operation of the network controller
1528. As noted, security for cyber attacks is important for an
Internet-enabled vehicle. Drivers are accessing data from Internet
service providers via smart phone, tablet computer, and/or on board
or embedded technologies as well as utilizing hands-free
communication technology to send and receive phone calls and text
messages. Automotive manufacturers are sending and receiving data
based on electronic sensor readings and event data recording. Due
to the potentially dire consequences of a security breach on on
board processing module operation, rigorous security measures
should be deployed. While the vehicular network can employ passive
techniques, such as configuration of access restrictions in access
points (such as encryption, checks on MAC addresses, disabling
ESSID broadcasting, isolation of the vehicular network by the
firewall and gateway, hiding the SSID (Service Set Identifier), MAC
ID filtering (allowing access from know, pre-approved MAC
addresses, static IP addressing, IEEE 802.11, 802.11i, and/or
802.1x security, use of the wired equivalent privacy encryption,
TKIP, EAP, LEAP, PEAP, WPAv 1, and/or WPAv2 protocols, end-to-end
encryption (in one or more of 2, 3, and/or application layer), and
RF shielding substantially surrounding the interior of the vehicle
(to attenuate signals and prevent wireless signals from propagating
outside the vehicle), active techniques may also be employed.
Communications with external computational devices 1532 can be
channeled through the gateway/firewall 1512.
[0249] One active technique is depicted in FIG. 24.
[0250] In step 2400, the network controller 1528 detects a
stimulus, such as an instance of a virus, malware, unauthorized
access, misuse, modification, denial-of-service attack, spoofing,
man-in-the-middle attack, ARP poisoning, smurf attack, buffer
overflow, heap overflow, format string attack, SQL injection,
identity theft (or MAC spoofing), network injection, caffe latte
attack, or denial of a computer network and/or network-accessible
resource. The stimulus may be a warning signal received by the
network controller 1528 from the gateway/firewall 1512, a honeypot
(which is a decoy network-assistant resource to provide network
surveillance and early-warning tool, a network node, mapping a
template corresponding to a specific attack type to received
signals, a network probe, and the like.
[0251] In step 2404, the network controller 1528 attempts to
confirm the instance of potential security breach. This can be done
by reviewing historical behavior, such as shown by communication
logs (containing signal description (e.g., type, source,
destination, protocol, and payload type) and signal receipt
timestamps) not only for the current node but also for other nodes
and comparing the behavior to templates characteristic of differing
types of attacks and/or applying rules to the historical behavior.
The security breach details, signal description (e.g., type,
source, destination, protocol, and payload type) and signal receipt
timestamps), are recorded in memory 220 and firewall settings,
including whitelists and blacklists, are updated.
[0252] In decision diamond 2408, the network controller 1528
determines whether or not the computational devices impacted or
potentially impacted by the security breach can be isolated from
other vehicular network components or whether the active processing
module can be isolated from other non-critical computational
components. For an external computational device 1532, such as a
tablet computer, smart phone, laptop computer, personal digital
assistant, and the like, isolation is possible simply by denying
vehicular wireless network access or access, by a component of the
vehicular wireless network, to the external computational device
1532. For components in the vehicular wireless network,
communications to and from the affected components, which normally
do not pass through the gateway/firewall, can be redirected through
and filtered by the gateway/firewall or, depending on the
criticality of the affected component(s), such communications can
be blocked. For the active processing module 124, non-critical
communications to and from other non-critical computational
components, which normally do not pass through the
gateway/firewall, can be redirected through and filtered by the
gateway/firewall before being provided to the active processing
module or, depending on the criticality of the communication(s),
such communications can be blocked. Critical communications, or
communications with critical components, typically cannot be
delayed by firewall processing. In one variation, a critical
communication security mechanism is activated when a security
breach is detected. The security mechanism can include, for
example, one or more of encrypting access restrictions in critical
components and the active processing module (such as encryption,
checks on MAC addresses, disabling ESSID broadcasting, hiding the
SSID (Service Set Identifier), MAC ID filtering (allowing access
from know, pre-approved MAC addresses, static IP addressing, IEEE
802.11, 802.11i, and/or 802.1x security, use of the wired
equivalent privacy encryption, TKIP, EAP, LEAP, PEAP, WPAv 1,
and/or WPAv2 protocols, and end-to-end encryption (in one or more
of 2, 3, and/or application layer).
[0253] When isolation is possible, the network controller 1528, in
step 2412, isolates the affected computational device(s) from
further communications with or filters communications with the
active processing module 124 or the active processing module from
further communications with the affected computational component(s)
and alerts the user and/or a remote node 1500 of the security
breach and details regarding it.
[0254] When isolation is not possible, the network controller 1528
alerts the user and/or a remote node 1500 of the security breach
and details regarding it. The critical security mechanism may be
activated to protect the critical components and active processing
module.
[0255] Operation of Network Selector 2036
[0256] The operation of the network selector 2036, a subcomponent
of the network controller 1528, will now be discussed with
reference to FIGS. 8 and 10-11.
[0257] Referring to FIG. 8, an active processing module 124, in
step 800, receives a signal to transmit to a separate vehicle
component. The signal can be, for example, from any on board
computational component, including an on board sensor 1516
(including those discussed above), a critical or non-critical
system controller 2012 or 2016, an on board sensor monitor 2020,
the displayed object movement module 2024, the diagnostic module
2028, the media filter 2032, the remote control module 2040, the
installation supervisor 2044, the multimedia control module 2048,
the computational module selector 2052, the media controller 1524,
the gateway/firewall 1512, another processing module 124, the
transceiver 1508, an input/output system 1520, a network controller
1528, and/or an external computational device 1532.
[0258] The network selector 2036, in step 804, selects a network
compatible with the type and/or required format of the signal, such
as one or more of local wired network 808, local wireless network
812, and/or the internet 816, to deliver the signal to a selected
local or remote endpoint, including those set forth in the prior
paragraph. The selection is based on one or more factors, including
a type, urgency, importance and/or requirements of the signal
(e.g., whether the signal contains an urgent flag or other urgency
indicator, a source of the signal (such as from an on-board sensor
or sensor monitor, a critical component, a non-critical component,
and the like), a type of signal payload (such as whether the signal
contains multimedia), transmission and/or bandwidth requirements
for the signal (e.g., requisite maximum latency, packet loss,
jitter, and/or transmission rate, transport protocol, quality of
service, and the like)), an operational status (e.g., operational
or nonoperational) of each of the compatible networks, an
operational status of an intermediate node on the compatible
networks, a signal/noise ratio over each of the compatible
networks, available and/or unavailable bandwidth for each of the
compatible networks, current compatible network performance
parameters (e.g., packet drop, latency, jitter, throughput, quality
of service, and the like), and other factors influencing signal
quality, reliability, and/or transmission speed.
[0259] Generally, the network selector 2036 determines the type,
urgency, importance and/or requirements of the signal and one or
more of the above parameters for each of the compatible networks,
compares the signal parameters with the compatible network
parameters and selects the compatible network able to currently
best satisfy the requisite signal parameters. For example, a signal
from a critical component generally is transmitted by a local wired
network 808, such as a bus, due to the high signal quality,
reliability and/or transmission speed required for the signal. A
multimedia signal would generally not be transmitted by a local
wired network as it is not commonly incompatible with the signal
payload. Such a signal would more typically be transmitted by a
local wireless network 812 (e.g., by Bluetooth.TM. or WiFi.TM. or a
"hot spot") or, if the signal recipient (whether or not an on board
component or remote node) has a corresponding IP address, by the
internet 816.
[0260] Once the compatible network is selected for signal
transmission, the network selector 2036, in step 820, configures or
causes to be configured the signal in accordance with the selected
network's transmission protocol. For example, when the signal is to
be transmitted over a local wireless network 812, the signal
payload and/or signal itself would generally be packaged (such as
by a protocol stack) in a header and trailer in accordance with an
appropriate one of the WiFi.TM. or Bluetooth.TM. protocols. By way
of further example, when the signal is to be transmitted over the
Internet 816, the signal payload and/or signal itself would
generally be packaged (such as by a protocol stack) in a header and
trailer in accordance with TCP/IP suite of protocols.
[0261] The properly configured or formatted signal is then
transmitted over the selected compatible network.
[0262] A further operation of the network selector 2036 will now be
discussed with reference to FIG. 10. In this operation, the network
selector 2036 receives a media stream from a remote node 1500, such
as a radio or television station or other Web site, and selects an
intermediate local network to carry the media stream to an
input/output system for presentation to an occupant of the
vehicle.
[0263] In step 1000, a processing module 124 receives the media
stream from the remote node 1500. The media stream packets contain
destination information associating the media stream with one or
more input/output systems of the vehicle.
[0264] In step 1004, the network selector 2036 determines the
transmission mode and/or network based on various parameters,
including network status, intermediate node status, signal/nose
ratio of the network, type and/or source of media, available and/or
unavailable bandwidth, network performance parameters (e.g.,
availability, packet drop, latency, jitter, throughput, etc.),
quality of service, and the like. The network selector 2036 selects
which of the local on board wireless network 812 (e.g., generated
by a on board or portable component within the vehicle), local
wired network 808, and nearby independent wireless network 1008
(e.g., generated by a component external to the vehicle) is to
carry the media to the destination input/output system(s) of the
vehicle.
[0265] In step 1012, the media is provided, over the selected
network, to the destination input/output system(s).
[0266] Operation of Media Controller 1524
[0267] A further operation of the network selector 2036 and
operations of the media controller 1524 will now be discussed with
reference to FIG. 11. In this operation, the network selector 2036
receives a signal, which typically includes a media payload, from a
local or remote node and selects an intermediate local compatible
network to carry the media stream to an input/output system for
presentation to an occupant of the vehicle. Depending on an
input/output system mode, the signal is directed by the media
controller 1524 only to a subset or to all of the input/output
systems. In a dependent mode, common content is provided
synchronously to each of the input/output systems while in an
independent mode different content is provided to different ones of
the input/output systems. While each occupant controls his or her
input/output system in independent mode, the operator controls all
input/output systems in the dependent mode. This is particularly
beneficial for young children as occupants. The operator typically
selects which of the modes is in effect in the vehicle at any one
time.
[0268] In step 1100, the processing module 124 receives a signal
for graphical presentation to one or more occupants. The signal
typically comprises media as a payload.
[0269] In step 1104, the network selector 2036 determines the
transmission mode and/or compatible network based on various
parameters, including network status, intermediate node status,
signal/nose ratio of the network, type and/or source of media,
available and/or unavailable bandwidth, network performance
parameters (e.g., availability, packet drop, latency, jitter,
throughput, etc.), quality of service, and the like. The network
selector 2036 selects which of the local on board wireless network
812 (e.g., generated by a on board or portable component within the
vehicle), local wired network 808, and Internet 818 is to carry the
media to the destination input/output system(s) of the vehicle.
[0270] In step 1108, the media controller 1524 determines which of
the input/output systems are to receive the media. There are a
number of factors that can influence this decision. The first is
whether the input/output systems are in dependent or independent
mode. The second is whether an applicable law, whether federal,
state, provincial, or local, limits the operation of one or more of
the input/output systems. The satellite positioning system receiver
on board the vehicle can provide, at any time, the precise vehicle
position to a processing module. The processing module can use the
position coordinates to determine a set of applicable laws and,
from the set of applicable laws, determine restrictions on
input/output systems of vehicles within that jurisdiction.
Restrictions may also be configured by the operator of the vehicle.
These legal and operator restrictions are collectively referred to
as rule set(s) 1612. For example, exemplary restrictions, or rule
sets 1612, include not providing videos to the operator when the
vehicle is in gear or moving, banning texting in the vehicle when
the vehicle is in gear or moving, and banning cellular calls when
the vehicle is in gear or moving. Restrictions may, alternatively,
require the media to be presented to the operator and/or occupant
in a specific manner. For example, the audio channel of a video may
be permitted to be played in the absence of the video channel of
the video. A cellular call may be permitted using a hands-free mode
but not using a handheld phone.
[0271] In step 1112, the media controller 1524 configures and
transmits the signal in accordance with the selected network and
the restrictions, if any, determined in step 1108. Configuration
refers not only to formatting and including the addresses of the
input/output systems to receive the signal but also to changing the
media payload, such as, for instance, removing video content while
leaving audio content.
[0272] Upon receipt, the signal is processed by the display and/or
audio controllers 1604 and 1608 and presented, by the recipient
input/output system and over the corresponding input/output system
to the occupant.
[0273] FIG. 17 depicts another operation of the media controller
1524.
[0274] In step 1700, the media controller 1524 detects a stimulus,
such as an occupant request to change the operational mode of an
input/output system.
[0275] In step 1704, the media controller 1524 determines a current
operational mode of the input/output system associated with each of
the occupants (e.g., independent or dependent operation) and
whether the occupant has authority or is privileged to request the
change. The mode is changed only when the occupant is authorized or
privileged to make the change.
[0276] In step 1708, the media controller 1524 determines when the
requestor is authorized or privileged to request the operational
mode change, the input/output system preferences of each of the
occupant user(s) including the requestor.
[0277] In step 1712, the media controller 1524 determines when the
requestor is authorized or privileged to request the operational
mode change, the pertinent rule set(s) 1612. As noted, the rule
set(s) 1612 include rules set by the owner or operator of the
vehicle, manufacturer of the vehicle, and as a matter of applicable
law.
[0278] In step 1716, the media controller 1524 determines when the
requestor is authorized or privileged to request the operational
mode change, a current state of each of the input/output system(s).
The current state includes not only the on/off status and settings
but also the content being displayed and operations currently being
performed by the occupant for each of the input/output systems.
[0279] In step 1720, the media controller 1524 determines when the
requestor is authorized or privileged to request the operational
mode change, a current display configuration of each of the
input/output systems.
[0280] In step 1724 and when the requestor is authorized or
privileged to request the operational mode change, the media
controller 1524 configures or reconfigures each of the input/output
systems and the corresponding displays as required by the new
operational mode. For example, when the current operational mode is
independent and the new operational mode is dependent, the media
controller 1524 blocks content currently being provided to each of
the subservient input/output displays in favor of providing to each
of the subservient input/output displays the content provided to
the master input/output display controlled by the requestor or to
display content selected by the requestor. When the current
operational mode is dependent and the new operational mode is
independent, the media controller 1524 continues to provide the
content formerly provided to all of the input/output systems to the
requestor's input/output system but returns each of the other
input/output systems to a default display. From the default
display, the respective user can select customized content, which
may be the same as or different from the content being provided to
the requestor's input/output system.
[0281] FIG. 18 depicts another operation of the media
controller1524.
[0282] In step 1800, the media controller 1524 receives a signal
from a local or remote node 1500. The signal includes, for example,
media from a web site or server or communication from a third
party.
[0283] In optional step 1804, the media controller 1524
unpacketizes the signal and analyzes the payload. This is done, for
example, when the destination for the signal and/or type of payload
is not clear from the packet header and/or trailer.
[0284] In step 1808, the media controller 1524 selects an
input/output system to receive the packet payload. This can be
based, for example, on the destination information in the header
and/or results of the analysis of optional step 1804.
[0285] In step 1812, the media controller 1524 determines the
applicable rule set 1612 governing the destination input/output
system and/or payload type or content.
[0286] In step 1816, the media controller 1524 determines a current
input/output system configuration(s). The current configuration
includes not only settings and capabilities but also whether the
input/output system is in the dependent or independent operational
mode.
[0287] Based on the above information, the media controller 1524
determines whether the payload can be provided to each of the
destination input/output systems and, if so, generates a command
incorporating the payload and including commands to the
input/output system on how to render and display the content. As
noted, the payload cannot be provided to a subservient input/output
system when in the dependent operational mode and the content
differs from that provided to the master input/output system. It
cannot be provided when an applicable rule set 1612 prohibits such
presentation. It may need to be filtered to remove some of the
payload to comply with the applicable rule set 1612.
[0288] In step 1824, the command is forwarded to each of the
destination input/output systems.
[0289] FIG. 19 depicts another operation of the media controller
1524.
[0290] In step 1900, the media controller 1524 determines a
location of each external computational device 1532 by a suitable
technique. In one example, a signal receiver or transceiver or
other connectivity access point, such as a wireless access point,
WiFi.TM. antenna, and the like is placed at each input/output
system and/or near each occupant seating location and/or at the
operator's seat. The network interface on the network controller
can force external computational devices to connect via a specified
communication protocol, such as by Bluetooth.TM. or WiFi.TM.
[0291] In step 1904, the media controller 1524 determines a spatial
location of each of the external computational devices relative to
one or more selected connectivity access points. Continuing the
example of the prior paragraph, the media controller 1524 measures,
at each connectivity access point, a signal strength for each
detected external computational device and, using the measured
signal strengths and a suitable algorithm such as triangulation,
determines a spatial location of each external computational device
and, in step 1908 for each located external computational device, a
nearest input/output system and/or occupant seat.
[0292] In step 1912, the media controller 1524 determines a
pertinent rule set 1612 for the determined location of each
external computational device.
[0293] In decision diamond 1916, the media controller 1524, based
on the pertinent rule set 1612, determines whether or not to accept
connectivity access by each of the external computational devices
or what limitations to place on such access. In the latter case,
specific tasks, functions, and/or operations may be permitted by
the pertinent rule set but not others. For example, a cellular
phone may be forced into hands free calling mode or prevented from
texting or using an instant messaging application or protocol when
located at the operator's seat. The rule set 1612 may be configured
as a table listing, by vehicle location, an applicable set of legal
restrictions and/or permissions and the restrictions or permissions
on specific tasks, functions, and/or operations.
[0294] When unlimited or limited access is permitted by the rule
set 1612, such access is provided by the media controller.
[0295] In decision diamond 1920, the media controller 1524 monitors
each of the external computational devices for a change in spatial
location. In other words, the media controller detects movement of
any external computational device from a first connectivity access
point or input/output system or seat governed by a first rule set
to a second different connectivity access point or input/output
system or seat governed by a different rule set. This is so because
each connectivity access point or input/output system or seat has a
corresponding rule set. When no change detected, decision diamond
1920 is repeated by the media controller substantially continuously
or periodically.
[0296] When limited or unlimited access is not accepted (decision
diamond 1916) or a location change is detected (decision diamond
1920), the media controller returns to step 1904.
[0297] FIG. 25 depicts a further operation of the media controller
1524. Currently, a particular vehicle radio may have access to XM,
AM, FM, and in some cases "streaming audio" capabilities through
separate sources (remote node(s) 1500). However, it is necessary to
change the input on a console to receive the information and music
from a specific source.
[0298] It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a
console capable of compiling and playing music and multimedia
information (such as a streaming video) by a general and/or
specific category. It is anticipated that the console may
adaptively select the source providing the content according to
specific rules, such as music type. For example, the console may
select the strongest signal, or highest quality of channel.
Furthermore the data is collected regardless of the source and
represented by icons (independent of source) on the console. These
icons may be selected by the user to access content. In one
configuration, the icon corresponds to a type of music. The music
is band and/or communication mode independent. For example, a
"classical music" icon indexes and/or links to all classical music
channels, whether AM, FM, streaming, XM, etc.
[0299] In some cases, a user may be listening to one station/source
while media information is being received and cached from another
station/source. In the event that the first signal is lost, the
cached media signal or stream may play. Additionally, the system
may adaptively "signal surf," for a given category, to determine
the best channel to receive the highest or best quality signal
(e.g., S/N ratio, stream or radio wave). Moreover, the system may
be able to determine that a reception limit is being neared (by
pilot signal back or satellite positioning system receiver
location) and may push delayed broadcast media information or other
content to a vehicle computer to be cached and listened to after
coverage is lost.
[0300] In step 2500, the media controller 1524 detects a stimulus
indicating that caching of media content is to be performed. This
may be a request by a user, a media signal falling below a
specified signal-noise ratio, the vehicle nearing an estimated
broadcast limit or range of the media source (or remote node 1500),
a request by a remote node 1500 (or signal source) to forward
content to the vehicle for caching for later presentation to the
user, a user action requiring the media not to be presented by the
vehicle (e.g., the vehicle operation moves from being "parked" to
being in gear (or in "drive" or "reverse"), and the like. As will
be appreciated, many jurisdiction's laws prohibit displaying media
to a driver while a vehicle is in operation.
[0301] In decision diamond 2504, the media controller 1524
determines whether or not to cache media. Depending on the
stimulus, rules configured by the user or default rules, may cause
the stimulus to be ignored. For example, when the request is from a
remote node 1500 the media controller 1524 may have a rule denying
such SPAM-like requests, may determine that insufficient memory
resources are available to cache the content, may determine that
the media content or remote node 1500 constitutes a potential
security breach, or may have the remote node 1500 address,
identity, or other identifier on a blacklist. When the media is a
video, the video may be cached for one input/output system, name
that of the driver, but not for another input/output system, namely
that of a passenger.
[0302] In step 2508, when caching is to be performed the media
controller 1524 commences caching the streaming media for delayed
presentation to the user. As will be appreciated, the media
controller 1524 can continue normal buffering of streaming media
packets.
[0303] In step 2512, when caching is not to be performed, the media
controller 1524 can continue normal buffering of streaming media
packets but does not perform media caching.
[0304] FIG. 26 depicts a further operation of the media controller
1524. The operation involves conforming media presentation, by
input/output system, in a manner comply with a pertinent rule set
1612. For example, instant messages, RSS feeds, Twitter messages,
can, in response to a vehicle moving from a parked
(non-operational) to an operational (in motion) state, cease
displaying this content to the driver and, instead, audibly present
the content and message source identifier to the driver, such as
reading the source name or address and RSS feeds or Twitter or
instant messages or enabling the audio channel for streaming
multimedia while disabling the video channel.
[0305] In step 2600, the media controller 1524 detects a stimulus
indicating that media presentation is to be altered for one or more
input/output systems. This may be a request by a user or a change
in vehicle state from operational to non-operational or from
non-operational to operational (e.g., a user action requiring the
media not to be presented by the vehicle (e.g., the vehicle
operation moves from being "parked" or a non-operational state to
being in gear (or in "drive" or "reverse" or in motion), or an
operational state). As will be appreciated, many jurisdiction's
laws prohibit displaying media to a driver while a vehicle is in
operation.
[0306] In decision diamond 2604, the media controller 1524
determines whether or not to alter the media presentation for a
selected input/output system. When, for example, the vehicle moves
from an operational to a non-operational state, the media
presentation for the selected input/output system can revert
automatically to a more functional format. For instance, multimedia
can have all channels, both audio and video, enabled for
presentation, by the selected input/output system to the user. An
RSS feed or Twitter or instant message, among others, can revert to
text presentation, with automated reading being disabled.
[0307] In step 2608, the media presentation is altered, as
determined, for one or more selected input/output systems.
[0308] In step 2612, media continues to be presented, in an
unchanged format, on the selected input/output system.
[0309] Operation of Installation Supervisor 2044
[0310] An operation of the installation supervisor 2044 will now be
discussed with reference to FIG. 12. The operation can provide a
plug-and-play functionality for automotive components, whether
device, hardware and/or software.
[0311] In step 1200, the installation supervisor 2044 detects an
attempt to install a new computational component in the vehicle.
The attempt can be detected by receipt of an installation
notification or request from a user or the computational component
itself. The computational component can be software, hardware, or a
combination thereof. Exemplary computational components include an
on board sensor 1516, a media controller 1524, a gateway/firewall
1512, a processing module 124, a network controller 1528, an
input/output system 1520, a display and/or audio controller 1604
and/or 1608, an arbitration module 2000, a health check module
2008, a critical system controller 2012, a non-critical system
controller 2016, an on board sensor monitor 2020, a displayed
object movement module 2024, a diagnostic module 2028, a media
filter 2032, a network selector 2036, a remote control module 2040,
a computational module selector 2052, an expansion module 290, an
application, a plug-in module, and the like.
[0312] In step 1204, the installation supervisor 2044 determines
the characteristics of the computational component. Exemplary
characteristics include manufacturer, model number, serial number,
date of manufacturer, and capabilities.
[0313] In decision diamond 1208, the installation supervisor 2044
determines whether the component is already linked to another
vehicle. This can be done by accessing the memory of the
installation component itself to check for a prior installation or
accessing the records of the manufacturer via remote node 1500.
[0314] When the component has not yet been linked to another
vehicle, the installation supervisor 2044, in decision diamond
1212, determines whether the installation is in compliance with
licensing restrictions on the use of the computational component.
Licensing conditions and/or restrictions can include payment of
funds to vendor, use restrictions (e.g., user-based license
restrictions (e.g., authorized user, concurrent user, floating
user, and user value unit restrictions), capacity-based license
restrictions (e.g., install, processor value unit, server and
virtual server restrictions), territorial restrictions (e.g., use
permitted only in certain countries, states, provinces, and the
like), and other license restrictions (e.g., client device (or host
vehicle-based restrictions) and resource value unit restrictions)),
and other conditions and/or restrictions.
[0315] When the component installation is in compliance with
applicable license restrictions, the installation supervisor 2044,
in decision diamond 1216, determines whether the computational
component is eligible for use in the current vehicle. Eligibility
is based not only on specifications and capabilities of the
computational component but also vehicle manufacturer approval or
disapproval of the computational component for vehicles having this
particular make, model and year of manufacture.
[0316] When the computational component is eligible for use in the
current vehicle, the installation supervisor 2044, in step 1220,
creates data structures in the memories of the computational
component and computational module binding the computational
component to the vehicle. This can be done, for example, by
creating data structures in the memory of the computational
component containing a serial number or vehicle identification
number of the vehicle and in the memory 220 of the processing
module containing a serial number or other unique identifier for
the computational component and a description of the type, make,
model, year of manufacture, and date of installation of the
computational component.
[0317] When any of the following is true, namely the computational
component is already linked to another vehicle (decision diamond
1208), the license does not permit the installation of the
computational component (decision diamond 1212), and/or the
component is ineligible for use with the current vehicle (decision
diamond 1216), the installation supervisor 2044, in step 1224,
ignores the computational component, and therefore refuses
installation of same, logs the attempted installation (including a
description of the computational component and time stamp
associated with the attempted installation) and/or notifies a
remote node 1500 (such as a manufacturer for purposes of warranty
invalidation) and/or the operator of the invalid attempt.
[0318] Operation of Media Filter 2032
[0319] An operation of the media filter 2032 will be discussed with
reference to FIG. 13.
[0320] In step 1300, a processing module 124 receives a signal from
a third party source, such as a web site or server (in response to
web browsing) or a communication from a third party, such as email,
text, cellular call, and the like, for presentation to an
occupant.
[0321] In step 1304, the media filter 2032 determines preferences
of the occupant and/or other restrictions. Preferences include, for
example, a white or black list (of approved or disapproved message
sources respectively), presence of the destination occupant as
received from a presence server or service associated with the
destination occupant, preferences of or rules relating to the
destination occupant as determined by another occupant having
privileges to control content presented to the destination occupant
(e.g., parental control of content and/or communications presented
to a child), context of the destination occupant (e.g., driving the
vehicle, engaging in an unrelated higher priority activity on the
input/output system associated therewith, etc.), and governing laws
(or an applicable rule set 1612).
[0322] In decision diamond 1308, the media filter 2032 determines,
based on the determined preferences and/or restrictions from step
1304, whether or not to block the signal or alter the payload of
the signal to conform with the preferences and/or restrictions.
[0323] When the signal is not to be blocked, the media filter 2032
proceeds to step 1312 and presents the signal or its payload to the
destination occupant. The signal may be blocked, for example, when
it is a call to an operator while the vehicle is in motion (to
comply with a state or local law). Electronic SPAM may be
blocked.
[0324] When the signal is to be blocked, the media filter 2032
proceeds to step 1316 and blocks the signal. The signal may be
blocked, for example, when it is a call to an operator while the
vehicle is in motion (to comply with a state or local law).
Electronic SPAM may be blocked.
[0325] Operation of Diagnostic Module 2028
[0326] The diagnostic module 2028 queries on board sensors 1516
and/or on board sensor monitor(s) 2020, and/or critical and/or
non-critical system controller(s) 2012 and 2016 to determine states
of various parts, components, subsystems, tasks, functions, and/or
operations of the vehicle. The diagnostic module 2028 can then
perform diagnostics using locally stored or remotely stored (at
remote node 1500) pre-determined logic to identify faults,
malfunctions, or other problems and, optionally, generate repair
advice and/or warnings and/or instructions and/or recommendations
to the vehicle operator. This diagnosis can also locate and/or
determine and/or identify any parts or components required to
repair the vehicle, the source and/or source(s) for replacement
parts and/or components, identify a nearest and/or preferred
service or repair facility or service, provide an estimate of the
repair cost at a selected facility and/or comparative estimates at
different facilities in proximity to the vehicle's current
location, and/or obtain any manufacturer's and/or vendor's update
information required to repair or resolve the identified fault,
malfunction, or other problem. The diagnostic module 2028 can
provide any repair instructions and/or recommendations to the
operator, pre-order the replacement parts and/or components,
contact the nearest and/or preferred service facility for a repair
estimate, contact the nearest and/or preferred service facility to
schedule an appointment for the repair or service, and/or forward,
optionally at the owner's and/or operator's instructions, the
collected information regarding the fault, malfunction, or other
problem to a remote node 1500 (specified by the operator and/or
owner) for monitoring and/or evaluation. The owner and/or operator
can have a default location or select a location for fault,
malfunction, or other problem analysis assistance.
[0327] FIG. 14 depicts an operation of the diagnostic module
2028.
[0328] In step 1400, the diagnostic module 2028 receives, from a
local or remote source (such as the remote node 1500), a signal
warning of an actual or potential malfunction of an on board
component, including any of the components discussed above.
[0329] In step 1404, the diagnostic module 2028, in step 1404,
determines user and/or default preferences regarding treatment of
the signal. The various options include one or more of present the
signal to a third party such as a manufacturer or servicing entity
(option 1408), presenting the signal to an occupant of the vehicle
(option 1412), contacting an emergency service provider or first
responder (e.g., request tow truck or roadside service provider,
contact police, and/or request dispatch of an ambulance), and
performing on board diagnostics (option 1416) to obtain more
diagnostic information regarding the actual or potential
malfunction followed by option 1408 or 1412. In one application,
the signal is forwarded to a manufacturer or repair service vendor
that compares the reported fault and vehicle-specific parameters
(e.g., mileage, date of last service, and/or environmental
conditions) to the maintenance and/or fault history for the vehicle
model and provides, to the vehicle operator, the result of the
comparison along with a probability of the diagnosis being correct.
The signal can include, for example, a current (SPS or map)
location of the vehicle, an identity of the vehicle and/or vehicle
owner or occupant, and diagnostic information and/or diagnosed
cause of the warning signal. The manufacturer or service vendor
also updates its database for the particular model of the vehicle
to reflect the reported fault. The manufacturer or service vendor
can dispatch an emergency service provider or first responder to
the location reported by the vehicle SPS, and/or schedules the
workload for the repair shop and pre-orders the required part(s)
for the repair shop. The diagnostic module can recommend a source
of conduct or action (including those discussed above) for the
vehicle operator and, if accepted, execute or cause execution of
same.
[0330] In step 1420, the diagnostic module 2028 determines a
further treatment of the warning or error signal. The determination
may be based, for instance, on a command or request received from
the third party or occupant or an applicable set of rules and/or
policies.
[0331] FIG. 28 depicts another operation of the diagnostic module
2028.
[0332] FIG. 28 depicts a vehicle ecosystem capable of providing
accurate indications for purposes of service and maintenance in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Currently,
vehicles may offer a warning light and/or series of lights to
provide information to a user regarding vehicle condition. These
lights may have a multitude of meanings that may require further
inspection by a mechanic or other qualified individual. In order to
interpret and decode the meanings behind a light combination, the
user is routinely required to consult the owner's manual, the
Internet, or to call the dealer. In some cases, these lights are
only maintenance reminders and need not be immediately addressed.
However, in other cases, the lights are urgent and require
immediate attention.
[0333] The present disclosure can provide an Internet enabled car
that is capable of transmitting vehicle codes, error code readings,
and to remotely diagnose and display these codes to a user and/or a
mechanic. This diagnostic information may be performed on-board or
remotely. It is anticipated that the information may be accessed
according to chosen preferences. Additionally, it is anticipated
that based on the type of warning/error code, the system may
suggest a recommended course of action. For example, if the error
code indicates a severe or catastrophic failure the system may
suggest to pull-over, stop the car, and proceed to a safe area away
from the automobile.
[0334] In some embodiments, the system may provide "conversational"
warnings to a user. These warnings and associated codes may also be
simultaneously transmitted to a selected garage and/or postponed
for approval to transmit to the nearest garage (either wired or
wirelessly). In addition, the system may estimate an approximate
time to fix (based on past garage fix times, garage inventory,
severity of problem, combinations, etc.) and make appropriate
suggestions. For example, the system may provide the conversational
warning "Please do not be alarmed, your engine is running slightly
low on oil; there are four garages in the general area. You have
time to get a cup of coffee while you wait; here are three coffee
shops in the immediate location" and/or "It appears that the rear
left suspension is malfunctioning and the upper strut will need to
be replaced. It is noticed that you are greater than 80 miles from
home, would you like to book a reservation at a local hotel? There
are five hotels in the area rated three stars or above."
[0335] Referring to FIG. 28, the diagnostic module 2028, in step
2800, receives and interprets a maintenance and/or system error
and/or warning code. Such codes are known in the art of automotive
design and generally depend on the automotive and/or component
manufacturer. Accordingly, the diagnostic module 2028 will,
generally, have a lookup table or other set of data structures to
map the code not only to a corresponding condition and/or
conversation meaning but also behavioral rule in a rule set. In
appropriate applications, the conversational meaning can be further
determined based on the condition.
[0336] The diagnostic module 2028, in step 2808, provides the
conversational meaning, such as audibly and/or visually, to the
vehicle operator.
[0337] The diagnostic module 2028, in step 2812, determines other
factors related to the received code(s). The pertinent rule in the
rule set, for example, can cause the diagnostic to query other
components potentially impacted by the condition and/or having
other data points relevant to the condition. The diagnostic module
2028, in accordance with the pertinent rule, may contact a remote
node for additional information relevant to the code, including the
conversational advice to be provided to the vehicle operator.
[0338] In step 2816, the diagnostic module 2028 provides the
conversational advice to the operator. The advice may be
interactive in which event the operator would query the diagnostic
module 2028 for information not clear from the initially provided
conversation meaning and/or advice. A menu-type structure can be
used by the diagnostic module to respond to the operator request
for further information. Such further information may require the
diagnostic module to initiate a contact, on behalf of the operator,
with a remote node 1500.
[0339] In step 2820, the diagnostic module logs codes, internally
and/or provides the codes to a remote node 1500 for logging, and
provides for transfer of the operator to a selected entity or
entities, such as one or more remote nodes 1500.
[0340] In step 2824, the diagnostic module 2028 optionally
transfers the codes, on a predetermined stimulus, to a remote node
1500.
[0341] Operation of Displayed Object Movement Module 2024
[0342] An operation of the displayed object movement module 2024
will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. The
displayed object movement module 2024 enables a user to share
displayed content or other image, in substantial real time and not
via a transmitted message, with one or more other input/output
systems. The displayed object can be any displayed image, including
streaming video, a web page, an icon, a window, an application, and
the like.
[0343] In step 2100, the displayed object movement module 2024
detects a stimulus. The stimulus can be, for example, receipt of a
gesture by a touchscreen display of an input/output system, user
selection on a first input/output system of a different second
input/output system to which the displayed object is to be moved,
and the like.
[0344] In step 2104, the displayed object movement module 2024
determines, based on the stimulus, to which input/output system
display to move the displayed object.
[0345] FIG. 22A depicts one technique to determine the destination
input/output system(s). Each of the dashed lines 2208a-connecting
to the displayed object 2204 in the display 2200 indicates a
direction, or vector, along which the displayed object 2204 is to
be moved. The displayed object movement module 2024 projects the
direction to determine an input/output display intersected by or
nearest the projection of the vector. By way of illustration, the
first gesture 2208a (if received by an input/output system in a
back seat) will cause the displayed object 2204 to move to the
driver's input/output system (which corresponds to position "1"),
the second gesture 2208b (if received by an input/output system in
a back seat) will cause the displayed object 2204 to move to the
input/output system positioned in the middle front seating position
(which corresponds to position "2"), the third gesture 2208c (if
received by an input/output system in a back seat) will cause the
displayed object 2204 to move to the input/output system positioned
in the right (facing the front of the vehicle) front seating
position (which corresponds to position "3"), the fourth gesture
2208d (if received by an input/output system in either a front or
back seat) will cause the displayed object 2204 to move to the left
adjacent input/output system (relative to the gesture receiving
input/output system) (which corresponds to position "4"), the fifth
gesture 2208e (if received by an input/output system in either a
front or back seat) will cause the displayed object 2204 to move to
the right adjacent input/output system (relative to the gesture
receiving input/output system) (which corresponds to position "5"),
the sixth gesture 2208f (if received by an input/output system in a
front seat) will cause the displayed object 2204 to move to the
input/output system positioned in the left rear seating position
(which corresponds to position "6"), the seventh gesture 2208g (if
received by an input/output system in a front seat) will cause the
displayed object 2204 to move to the input/output system positioned
in the middle rear seating position (which corresponds to position
"7"), and finally the eighth gesture 2208h (if received by an
input/output system in a front seat) will cause the displayed
object 2204 to move to the input/output system positioned in the
right rear seating position (which corresponds to position
"8").
[0346] FIG. 22B depicts one technique to determine the destination
input/output system(s). The display 2200 of the user's input/output
system displays a seating diagram of the vehicle. The first seat
icon 2212a corresponds to the driver's seating position, the second
seat icon 2212b to the middle front seating position (if present),
the third seat icon 2212c to the right front seating position, the
fourth seat icon 2212d to the left rear seating position, the fifth
seat icon 2212e to the middle rear seating position (if present),
and the sixth seat icon 2212f to the right rear seating position.
This display would typically be selected from the display
containing the displayed object to be moved and would be selected
before or after selection of the displayed object for movement.
Unlike the prior technique, which generally requires the displayed
object to be moved to multiple input/output systems sequentially or
entry of multiple gestures, which can be laborious, the seating
diagram enables the displayed object to be moved substantially
simultaneously to multiple input/output systems. Specifically,
selection of a seating position selects the input/output system
servicing the seating position. Multiple seating positions can be
selected from the display 2200, which, when a movement command is
received, causes the displayed object to be moved to each of the
input/output system(s) servicing the seating position(s)
selected.
[0347] Returning to FIG. 21, the displayed object movement module
2024 moves the displayed object selected for movement to the
display of each of the selected input/output systems and alters the
current display of each of the selected input/output systems to
include the moved displayed object. Alteration of the display can
depend on the content currently being viewed at each of the
targeted displays. For example, if a target display is displaying
streaming video, the moved displayed object could be minimized,
giving the user the option of opening the displayed object and
interrupting the video display. If a target display is inactive for
a specified time period and therefore in "sleep" or "power down"
mode, the moved displayed object could be maximized and the display
awakened from a "sleep" or "power down" mode to display the
maximized displayed object.
[0348] In decision diamond 2112, the displayed object movement
module 2024 determines whether to continue display of the displayed
object on the source display which received the movement command
for the displayed object. The determination can be based on default
or user preferences or a further command received from the user.
When the source display is to be altered, the displayed object
movement module 2024, in step 2116, alters the source display to
remove the displayed object. When the source display is not to be
altered, the displayed object movement module 2024, in step 2120,
continues to display the displayed object.
[0349] Operation of Presence Reporting Module 2056
[0350] A presence reporting module considers local laws, individual
(or contactee) context, and other factors in determining whether an
individual is present (e.g., for unified communications) and, if
so, by what communication channel(s). Local laws, for example, may
prohibit cellular calls and/or texting and/or tweeting while the
car is in motion. In that event, a permissible communication
channel, such as email or paging, is reported to the presence
service 1500. The context could include, for example, the contactee
is in the driver's seat (as determined by an on board sensor, such
as a seating sensor), and the like), the vehicle is in motion, the
vehicle is parked, the contactee is absent from vehicle (as
determined by an on board sensor, such as a seating sensor, and the
like), the contactee is currently using his or her corresponding
input/output system and therefore is or is not available (depending
on contactee preference), a current seating position of the
contactee (e.g., whether the contactee is a driver or passenger), a
current geographical and/or geopolitical location of the vehicle,
and so on. Other factors include, for example, the on board
communication system and/or external computational device(s) 1532
are currently out of cellular phone range, the on board
communication system and/or external computational device(s) 1532
are currently roaming, the wireless connection, such as over a
cellular network, with the on board communication system and/or
external computational device(s) is currently unacceptable (e.g.,
unacceptably low signal-to-noise ratio or quality or grade of
service), and the like.
[0351] With reference to FIG. 29, the presence reporting module
2056, in step 2900, detects a stimulus, such as a passage of time,
a query by the presence service 1500, an incoming or inbound
contact, a change in user context, a change in the applicable local
law due to a change in location of the vehicle, a change in
contactee context, or a change in another factor.
[0352] In step 2904, the presence reporting module 2056 collects
the context of the contactee, such as by querying on board sensors
1516, a input/output system 1520 corresponding to a seating
location of the contactee to determine a current state of the
input/output system (operational or non-operational) and/or
activity of the contactee (e.g., web surfing, playing media,
engaged in a phone call, etc.), an external computational device
1532 associated with the contactee, and/or the transceiver 1508
and/or network controller 1528 for information regarding the
available networks for a communication and/or the quality of a
connection over each network.
[0353] In decision diamond 2908, the presence reporting module 2056
determines whether the previously reported presence information
requires updating (e.g., the previously reported presence
information is no longer valid due a sensed change). When no update
is required, the presence reporting module 2056 returns to step
2900. When an update is required, the presence reporting module
2056 proceeds to step 2912.
[0354] In step 2912, the presence reporting module 2056 reports the
update(s) (or changes to the previously reported presence
information) to the presence service 1500.
[0355] In step 2916, the presence service 1500 receives the
update(s) and updates the current presence information for the
associated contactee.
[0356] Operation of Social Networking Module 2070
[0357] An operation of the social networking module 2070 will now
be discussed with reference to FIG. 30.
[0358] Social networking among vehicles can add a new dimension to
driving. For example, an operator can socially network with a
friend driving in the next lane. Although this can be done with
cell phones, it can be difficult to retrieve the number while
driving let alone to dial it without increasing accident risk.
Rather than fuming silently, occupants of different vehicles can
conduct a social round table as they sit in gridlock. If an
operator wanted to communicate with another car, he or she could
address it using the license plate number.
[0359] There are a myriad of other examples of socially networked
vehicles. Socially networked vehicles, for example, can enable
multiple cars to connect while on car trips to share information
about how much gas is left in the fuel tanks, competing fuel
economy between the cars, shared routes, and land marks and gas
stations on the route ahead. Socially networked vehicles can record
the real-time fuel economy of a vehicle and then compare that fuel
economy to peers, thereby enabling the driver to see other drivers
that have driven the same, or similar routes, and receive
suggestions from other drivers on the best route for the best fuel
economy. A ride-sharing social network can encourage ad hoc
carpooling and provide a rating and recommendation system for its
users. Socially networked vehicles can play games with one another.
Since the game could have access to car metrics, games could
incorporate actual car data, such as speed, fuel, etc. Games could
simulate what would happen if an operator drove the way he or she
wanted to. Kids in socially networked vehicles can play games
against one another.
[0360] With reference to FIG. 30, the processing module of a
vehicle receives a stimulus in step 3000. The stimulus can be a
request by a user to initiate a social network with a vehicle
identified by the user providing the license plate number, receipt
of a request for initiating a social networking session from
another vehicle, the determination that a vehicle of a socially
networked contact is available to initiate a social networking
session, and the like.
[0361] In step 3004, the social networking module 2070 identifies
the vehicles in wireless communication with the selected vehicle
and having one or more occupants in a social networking
relationship with a current vehicle occupant.
[0362] In step 3008, the social networking module 2070 determines
whether or not to initiate a social networking session. This can be
determined by receiving user input, predetermined rules provided by
the user, legal restrictions on the ability of the current or other
vehicle to engage in a social networking session, and the like.
[0363] When a social networking session is to be initiated, the
social networking module 2070, in step 3012, initiates the
session.
[0364] In optional step 3016, the social networking module 2070
collects vehicle information and provides the information to the
socially networked vehicle. The other vehicle, in return, can
provide its collected vehicle information.
[0365] In step 3020, the social networking module terminates or
suspends the session when a vehicle occupant leaves one of the
socially networked vehicles and/or at the request of a vehicle
occupant.
[0366] After step 3020 or when no social networking session is to
be initiated (decision diamond 3008), the social networking module
2070 returns to step 3000.
[0367] The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have
been described in relation to vehicle processing modules. However,
to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, the
preceding description omits a number of known structures and
devices. This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of
the scopes of the claims. Specific details are set forth to provide
an understanding of the present disclosure. It should however be
appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced in a
variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein.
[0368] Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments,
and/or configurations illustrated herein show the various
components of the system collocated, certain components of the
system can be located remotely, at distant portions of a
distributed network, such as a LAN and/or the Internet, or within a
dedicated system. Thus, it should be appreciated, that the
components of the system can be combined in to one or more devices,
such as a vehicle computer system, a Personal Computer (PC),
laptop, netbook, smart phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA),
tablet, etc., or collocated on a particular node of a distributed
network, such as an analog and/or digital communications network, a
packet-switch network, or a circuit-switched network or collocated
on a particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog
and/or digital communications network, a packet-switch network, or
a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from the
preceding description, and for reasons of computational efficiency,
that the components of the system can be arranged at any location
within a distributed network of components without affecting the
operation of the system. For example, the various components can be
located in a server. Similarly, one or more functional portions of
the system could be distributed between a communications device(s)
and an associated computing device.
[0369] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links
connecting the elements can be wired or wireless links, or any
combination thereof, or any other known or later developed
element(s) that is capable of supplying and/or communicating data
to and from the connected elements. These wired or wireless links
can also be secure links and may be capable of communicating
encrypted information. Transmission media used as links, for
example, can be any suitable carrier for electrical signals,
including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and may
take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated
during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.
[0370] Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and
illustrated in relation to a particular sequence of events, it
should be appreciated that changes, additions, and omissions to
this sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation
of the disclosed embodiments, configuration, and aspects.
[0371] A number of variations and modifications of the disclosure
can be used. It would be possible to provide for some features of
the disclosure without providing others.
[0372] For example in one alternative embodiment, the application
store is applied in a vehicle other than a wheeled or tracked
vehicle. For example, the application store can be implemented in
an aircraft, boat, ship, and the like.
[0373] In another alternative embodiment, the application store can
include not only media player software but also media itself.
Media, for example, can involve one or more media types (e.g.,
audio and/or video). Media can thus refer to music, movies, videos,
audio books, pictures, screen savers, display wallpaper, and the
like.
[0374] In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods of this
disclosure can be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose
computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and
peripheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other
integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired
electronic or logic circuit such as discrete element circuit, a
programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD, PLA, FPGA,
PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or the like.
In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing the
methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the various
aspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for
the disclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes
computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet
enabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware
known in the art. Some of these devices include processors (e.g., a
single or multiple microprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage,
input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative
software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed
processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel
processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed
to implement the methods described herein.
[0375] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be
readily implemented in con junction with software using object or
object-oriented software development environments that provide
portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or
workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be
implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic
circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware is used to
implement the systems in accordance with this disclosure is
dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the
system, the particular function, and the particular software or
hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being
utilized.
[0376] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be
partially implemented in software that can be stored on a storage
medium, executed on programmed general-purpose computer with the
cooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer,
a microprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and
methods of this disclosure can be implemented as program embedded
on personal computer such as an applet, JAVA.RTM. or CGI script, as
a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, as a
routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system
component, or the like. The system can also be implemented by
physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software
and/or hardware system.
[0377] Although the present disclosure describes components and
functions implemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations with reference to particular standards and
protocols, the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations are not
limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards
and protocols not mentioned herein are in existence and are
considered to be included in the present disclosure. Moreover, the
standards and protocols mentioned herein and other similar
standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically
superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having
essentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and
protocols having
[0378] The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments,
and/or configurations, includes components, methods, processes,
systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described
herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations
embodiments, subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of
skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed
aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the
present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects,
embodiments, and/or configurations, includes providing devices and
processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described
herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations
hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been
used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving
performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of
implementation.
[0379] The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of
illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to
limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the
foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the
disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects,
embodiments, and/or configurations for the purpose of streamlining
the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate
aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than those
discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted
as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features
than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following
claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of
a single foregoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or
configuration. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated
into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own
as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure.
[0380] Moreover, though the description has included description of
one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain
variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and
modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may
be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after
understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain
rights which include alternative aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations to the extent permitted, including alternate,
interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or
steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate,
interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or
steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly
dedicate any patentable subject matter.
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