U.S. patent application number 17/827463 was filed with the patent office on 2022-09-15 for communications device and method of communications.
The applicant listed for this patent is NXP B.V.. Invention is credited to Sujan PANDEY.
Application Number | 20220294719 17/827463 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006377397 |
Filed Date | 2022-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220294719 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PANDEY; Sujan |
September 15, 2022 |
COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND METHOD OF COMMUNICATIONS
Abstract
Embodiments of a device and method are disclosed. In an
embodiment, a method includes receiving, by an electronic control
unit of the IVN and from a first communications device of the IVN,
a first operations, administration, and management (OAM)
notification packet indicating that the first communications device
erroneously received a data packet. The first OAM notification
packet identifies a first communications protocol type associated
with the data packet. The method includes determining that the
first communications protocol type matches a second communications
protocol type stored in a first incoming stream register table of
the electronic control unit, and determining, based on the first
communications protocol type matching the second communications
protocol type, that a first communication link between the
electronic control unit and the first communications device is not
an erroneous communication link.
Inventors: |
PANDEY; Sujan; (Waalre,
NL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NXP B.V. |
Eindhoven |
|
NL |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000006377397 |
Appl. No.: |
17/827463 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16593218 |
Oct 4, 2019 |
11368382 |
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17827463 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 1/0083 20130101;
H04L 69/22 20130101; H04L 43/10 20130101; H04L 67/12 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 43/10 20060101
H04L043/10; H04L 67/12 20060101 H04L067/12; H04L 69/22 20060101
H04L069/22; H04L 1/00 20060101 H04L001/00 |
Claims
1. A method of detecting a communications link failure in an
in-vehicle network (IVN), the method comprising: receiving, by an
electronic control unit of the IVN and from a first communications
device of the IVN, a first operations, administration, and
management (OAM) notification packet indicating that the first
communications device erroneously received a data packet, wherein
the first OAM notification packet identifies a first communications
protocol type associated with the data packet; determining that the
first communications protocol type matches a second communications
protocol type stored in a first incoming stream register table of
the electronic control unit; and determining, based on the first
communications protocol type matching the second communications
protocol type, that a first communication link between the
electronic control unit and the first communications device is not
an erroneous communication link.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first incoming stream
register table identifies a plurality of communications protocol
types and determining that the first communications protocol type
matches the second communications protocol type stored in the first
incoming stream register table includes determining that the first
communications protocol type is included in the plurality of
communications protocol types.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first OAM notification packet
includes a first packet counter value and further comprising
determining that the first packet counter value matches a second
packet counter value stored in the first incoming stream register
table.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a second
OAM notification packet to a third communications device, wherein
the second OAM notification packet identifies the first
communications protocol type.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: receiving, from the
third communications device, a first indication that the first
communications protocol type does not match a third communications
protocol type stored in a second incoming stream register table of
the third communications device; and determining that a second
communications link between the third communications device and the
electronic control unit is the erroneous communication link.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising: receiving, from the
third communications device, a second indication that the first
communications protocol type matches a third communications
protocol type stored in a second incoming stream register table of
the third communications device; determining that a second
communications link between the third communications device and the
electronic control unit is not the erroneous communication link;
and transmitting a third OAM notification packet to a fourth
communications device, wherein the third OAM notification packet
identifies the first communications protocol type.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting the second OAM
notification packet to the third communications device comprises
transmitting the second OAM notification packet to an automotive
sensor device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the IVN is an asymmetrical
communications network such that communications in a first
direction of a network connection within the IVN occur at a first
rate that is higher than a second rate at which communications in a
second direction of the network connection occurs, and wherein the
first direction is opposite to the second direction.
9. A method of detecting a communications link failure in an
in-vehicle network (IVN), the method comprising: receiving, by an
electronic control unit of the IVN and from a first communications
device of the IVN, a first operations, administration, and
management (OAM) notification packet indicating that the first
communications device erroneously received a data packet, wherein
the first OAM packet includes a first communications protocol type,
wherein the electronic control unit stores a first incoming stream
register table that includes a second communications protocol type;
determining, by the electronic control unit, that the first
communications protocol type matches the second communications
protocol type; determining, by the electronic control unit, that a
first communication link between the electronic control unit and
the first communications device, is not an erroneous communication
link; transmitting, by the electronic control unit, a second OAM
notification packet to a third communications device, wherein the
second OAM notification packet identifies the first communications
protocol type; receiving, by the electronic control unit and from
the third communications device, an indication that the first
communications protocol type does not match a third communications
protocol type stored in a second incoming stream register table of
the third communications device; and determining, by the electronic
control unit, that a second communications link between the third
communications device and the electronic control unit is the
erroneous communication link.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first incoming stream
register table identifies a plurality of communications protocol
types and determining that the first communications protocol type
matches the second communications protocol type stored in the first
incoming stream register table includes determining that the first
communications protocol type is included in the plurality of
communications protocol types.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first OAM notification
packet further identifies a first packet counter value, the method
further comprising determining, by the electronic control unit,
that the first packet counter value matches a second packet counter
stored in the first incoming stream register table of the
electronic control unit.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein the IVN is an asymmetrical
communications network such that communications in a first
direction of a network connection within the IVN occur at a first
rate that is higher than a second rate at which communications in a
second direction of the network connection occurs, and wherein the
first direction is opposite to the second direction.
13. A communications system, comprising: a first communications
device; and an electronic control unit connected to the first
communications device by a wired communications network, the
electronic control unit including a first packet error detection
unit and a first incoming stream register table, wherein the first
packet error detection unit is configured to perform steps
including: receiving, from the first communications device, a first
operations, administration, and management (OAM) notification
packet indicating that the first communications device erroneously
received a data packet, wherein the first OAM packet identifies a
first communications protocol type associated with the data packet;
determining that the first communications protocol type matches a
second communications protocol type stored in the first incoming
stream register table; and determining that a first communication
link between the electronic control unit and the first
communications device, is not an erroneous communication link.
14. The communications system of claim 13, wherein the first
incoming stream register table identifies a plurality of
communications protocol types and the first packet error detection
unit is configured to perform the step of determining that the
first communications protocol type is included in the plurality of
communications protocol types.
15. The communications system of claim 13, wherein the first OAM
notification packet includes a first packet counter value and the
first packet error detection unit is configured to perform the step
determining that the first packet counter value matches a second
packet counter value stored in the first incoming stream register
table.
16. The communications system of claim 13, further comprising: a
third communications device including: a second packet error
detection unit; and a second incoming stream register table,
wherein the first packet error detection unit is configured to
perform the step of transmitting a second OAM notification packet
to the third communications device, wherein the second OAM
notification packet identifies the first communications protocol
type.
17. The communications system of claim 16, wherein the second
packet error detection unit is configured to perform the steps of:
determining that the first communications protocol type does not
match a third communications protocol type stored in the second
incoming stream register table; and transmitting, to the electronic
control unit, a first indication that the first communications
protocol type does not match the third communications protocol
type.
18. The communications system of claim 16, wherein the third
communications device is an automotive sensor device.
19. The communications system of claim 13, wherein the wired
communications network is an in-vehicle network (IVN).
20. The communications system of claim 19, wherein the IVN is an
asymmetrical communications network such that communications in a
first direction of a network connection within the IVN occur at a
first rate that is higher than a second rate at which
communications in a second direction of the network connection
occurs, and wherein the first direction is opposite to the second
direction.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of and incorporates by
reference U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/593,218 entitled
"COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND METHOD OF COMMUNICATIONS" and filed on
Oct. 4, 2019.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In a communications network with limited resources, it is
generally desirable to have a network technology with reduced
communications complexity, efficient power and/or communications
bandwidth utilization and built-in link error diagnostic capability
with low communications overhead. For example, in an in-vehicle
network (IVN) (e.g., with sensor nodes such as cameras, radars,
and/or light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors) where power
supply and communications bandwidth can be limited and the
dimension and cost of network components are typically constrained,
a network technology with reduced communications complexity and
efficient power and bandwidth utilization and built-in diagnostic
capability can improve network lifetime, reduce power consumption
and/or increase communications efficiency. However, typical network
technology may not be able to provide built-in link error
diagnostic capability for a communications network with limited
resources. Therefore, there is a need for a network technology that
has link error diagnostic capability with low communications
overhead.
SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of a device and method are disclosed. In an
embodiment, a method of communications involves at a communications
device, detecting an erroneously transmitted packet based on a
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet, and from the communication device, notifying a wired
communications network of the erroneously transmitted packet.
[0004] In an embodiment, notifying the wired communications network
of the erroneously transmitted packet includes transmitting an
operations, administration, and management (OAM) packet that
includes information related to the communications protocol
associated with the erroneously transmitted packet.
[0005] In an embodiment, the information related to the
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet includes a protocol type of the communications protocol
associated with the erroneously transmitted packet and a protocol
counter value associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet.
[0006] In an embodiment, the information related to the
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet further includes an address associated with the erroneously
transmitted packet.
[0007] In an embodiment, the method further includes checking the
information related to the communications protocol associated with
the erroneously transmitted packet against a register table at a
second communications device.
[0008] In an embodiment, the method further includes determining a
communications link between the communications device and the
second communications device as being erroneous when the
information related to the communications protocol associated with
the erroneously transmitted packet matches the register table at
the second communications device.
[0009] In an embodiment, the method further includes determining a
communications link between the communications device and the
second communications device as being error-free when the
information related to the communications protocol associated with
the erroneously transmitted packet does not match the register
table at the second communications device.
[0010] In an embodiment, detecting the erroneously transmitted
packet based on the communications protocol associated with the
erroneously transmitted packet includes detecting the erroneously
transmitted packet based on the communications protocol in which
the erroneously transmitted packet is formatted.
[0011] In an embodiment, detecting the erroneously transmitted
packet based on the communications protocol associated with the
erroneously transmitted packet includes detecting the erroneously
transmitted packet based on the communications protocol in which
the erroneously transmitted packet is formatted and a protocol
counter value associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet.
[0012] In an embodiment, detecting the erroneously transmitted
packet based on the communications protocol associated with the
erroneously transmitted packet includes detecting the erroneously
transmitted packet based on the communications protocol in which
the erroneously transmitted packet is formatted, a protocol counter
value associated with the erroneously transmitted packet and an
address associated with the erroneously transmitted packet.
[0013] In an embodiment, the wired communications network is an
IVN.
[0014] In an embodiment, the wired communications network is an
asymmetrical communications network such that communications in a
first direction of a network connection within the wired
communications network occur at a first rate that is higher than a
second rate at which communications in a second direction of the
network connection occurs, and the first direction is opposite to
the second direction.
[0015] In an embodiment, a communications device includes a packet
error detection unit configured to detect an erroneously
transmitted packet based on a communications protocol associated
with the erroneously transmitted packet and a transmitter unit
configured to notify a wired communications network of the
erroneously transmitted packet.
[0016] In an embodiment, the transmitter unit is configured to
transmit an OAM packet that includes information related to the
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet.
[0017] In an embodiment, the information related to the
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet includes a protocol type of the communications protocol
associated with the erroneously transmitted packet and a protocol
counter value associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet.
[0018] In an embodiment, the information related to the
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet further includes an address associated with the erroneously
transmitted packet.
[0019] In an embodiment, the packet error detection unit is further
configured to detect the erroneously transmitted packet based on
the communications protocol in which the erroneously transmitted
packet is formatted.
[0020] In an embodiment, the packet error detection unit is further
configured to detect the erroneously transmitted packet based on
the communications protocol in which the erroneously transmitted
packet is formatted and a protocol counter value associated with
the erroneously transmitted packet.
[0021] In an embodiment, the wired communications network is an
IVN.
[0022] In an embodiment, a wired communications network includes a
wired transmission media and communications devices configured to
communicate via the wired transmission media. Each of the
communications devices is configured to detect an erroneously
transmitted packet based on a communications protocol associated
with the erroneously transmitted packet and notify the wired
communications network of the erroneously transmitted packet.
[0023] Other aspects in accordance with the invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrated by way of
example of the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 depicts a communications network that includes
multiple sensor nodes, communications nodes, and electronic control
units (ECUs).
[0025] FIG. 2 depicts a communications node and an OSI reference
model.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a tunneling technique of the
communications device depicted in FIG. 2.
[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates a packet generation operation that can be
performed by the communications device depicted in FIG. 2 using the
tunneling technique illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0028] FIG. 5 depicts a communications network that includes
communication devices.
[0029] FIG. 6 depicts a communications network that implements a
packet error detection technique.
[0030] FIG. 7 depicts four proper or correct (error-free)
communications paths in the communications network depicted in FIG.
6.
[0031] FIG. 8 depicts three proper or correct (error-free)
communications paths and an incorrect or erroneous communications
path in the communications network depicted in FIG. 6.
[0032] FIG. 9 depicts a packet that can be transmitted in the
communications network depicted in FIG. 6.
[0033] FIG. 10 depicts an example of an incoming stream register
table that can be used by a communications node in the
communications network depicted in FIG. 6.
[0034] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an erroneous link diagnosing
process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0035] FIG. 12 depicts a communications network that implements an
erroneous link diagnosing technique.
[0036] FIG. 13 depicts a communications device in accordance with
an embodiment of the invention.
[0037] FIG. 14 is a process flow diagram of a method of
communications in accordance to an embodiment of the invention.
[0038] Throughout the description, similar reference numbers may be
used to identify similar elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] It will be readily understood that the components of the
embodiments as generally described herein and illustrated in the
appended figures could be arranged and designed in a wide variety
of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed
description of various embodiments, as represented in the figures,
is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but
is merely representative of various embodiments. While the various
aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings
are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically
indicated.
[0040] The present invention may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from its spirit or essential
characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in
all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of
the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims
rather than by this detailed description. All changes which come
within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be
embraced within their scope.
[0041] Reference throughout this specification to features,
advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the
features and advantages that may be realized with the present
invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the
invention. Rather, language referring to the features and
advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature,
advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an
embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present
invention. Thus, discussions of the features and advantages, and
similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not
necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.
[0042] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and
characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable
manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art
will recognize, in light of the description herein, that the
invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific
features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other
instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in
certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of
the invention.
[0043] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment",
"an embodiment", or similar language means that a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with
the indicated embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of
the present invention. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in
an embodiment", and similar language throughout this specification
may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0044] FIG. 1 depicts a communications network 100 that includes
one or more sensor nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18, one or more
communications nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10, and one or more
electronic control units (ECUs) 108-1, 108-2. The communications
network can be used in various applications, such as automotive
applications, communications applications, industrial applications,
medical applications, computer applications, and/or consumer or
appliance applications. In some embodiments, the communications
network is a wired communications network and the sensor nodes, the
communications nodes, and the ECUs communicate through electrical
cables or wires, which are made of conductive materials (e.g.,
metals). For example, the sensor nodes, the communications nodes,
and the ECUs communicate through one or more coaxial cables,
twisted pair cables, or fiber optic cables. Although the
illustrated communications network 100 is shown with certain
components and described with certain functionality herein, other
embodiments of the communications network may include fewer or more
components to implement the same, less, or more functionality. For
example, the communications network may include at least one
actuator and/or at least one display. In another example, in some
embodiments, the communications network may include more than
eighteen sensor nodes or less than eighteen sensor nodes, more than
ten communications nodes or less than ten communications nodes,
and/or more than two ECUs or less than two ECUs. In another
example, although the sensor nodes, the communications nodes, and
the ECUs are shown in FIG. 1 as being connected in certain
topology, the network topology of the communications network is not
limited to the topology shown in FIG. 1. Examples of network
topology that can also be used by the communications network
includes, without being limited to, point-to-point, star, bus, ring
or circular, mesh, tree, or hybrid. For example, the sensor nodes,
the communications nodes, and the ECUs can communicate through a
communications bus, which carries analog differential signals and
includes a high bus line and a low bus line, which may be connected
between one or more resistors. In another example, two of the
sensor nodes, the communications nodes, and/or the ECUs are
connected by a point-to-point connection without any intervening
device.
[0045] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the sensor nodes
104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18 are configured to sense environmental
or operational parameters or data, for example, within a vehicle
and/or surrounding a vehicle. In some embodiments, the sensor nodes
are configured to sense environmental or operational parameters or
data within an automotive system (e.g., a vehicle) and/or
surrounding an automotive system. The environmental or operational
parameters or data gathered by the sensor nodes can be in any
suitable format. Examples of the sensor nodes include, without
being limited to, image sensors/cameras, video sensors/cameras,
capacitance sensors, inductive sensors, pressure sensors, thermal
or temperature sensors (e.g., infrared thermometers), position
sensors (e.g., altimeters, gyroscopes, LiDAR sensors), proximity or
presence sensors (e.g., motion detectors, radars (e.g., Doppler
radars)), vibration sensors, acoustic sensors, optical sensors,
moisture sensors, humidity sensors, fluid property sensors (e.g.,
flow sensors), voltage sensors, current sensors, and chemical
sensors. In some embodiments, the sensor nodes are automotive
sensors, such as air flow meters, air-fuel ratio meters, blind spot
monitors, crankshaft position sensors, engine coolant temperature
sensors, hall effect sensors, wheel speed sensors, airbag sensors,
automatic transmission speed sensors, brake fluid pressure sensors,
camshaft or crankshaft position sensors, cylinder head temperature
gauges, engine pressure sensors, exhaust gas temperature sensors,
fuel level sensors, fuel pressure sensors, light sensors, oil level
sensors, oxygen sensors, radars, speed sensors, throttle position
sensors, tire pressure sensors, torque sensors, transmission fluid
temperature sensors, turbine speed sensors, variable reluctance
sensors, wheel speed sensors, anti-lock braking system (ABS)
sensors and/or battery sensors. Although the sensor nodes are
illustrated in FIG. 1 as being certain types of sensors (e.g.,
cameras C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, and C9, and radars R1, R2,
R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, and R9), in other embodiments, the sensor
nodes are implemented as other types of sensors.
[0046] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the communications
nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10 are configured to transmit and
receive data. The data transmitted and received by the
communications nodes can be in any suitable format. In an
embodiment, the data transmitted and received are data frames. In
addition to communication, each of the communications nodes may be
configured to perform an application such as an automotive
application. In some embodiments, at least one of the
communications nodes is implemented as a switch or a daisy chain
node that can be serially connected with other daisy chain node to
form a daisy chain network. In the daisy chain network, data is
serially transmitted uplink or downlink through daisy chain nodes.
For example, when a first daisy chain node receives data from a
second daisy chain node, the first daisy chain node can forward the
received data to a third daisy chain node. Although the
communications network is illustrated in FIG. 1 as including ten
communications nodes, in other embodiments, the communications
network includes more than ten communications nodes or less than
ten communications nodes.
[0047] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the ECUs 108-1, 108-2
are configured to control one or more devices, such as the sensor
nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18 and/or the communications nodes
106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10, and/or process data received from one
or more devices, such as the sensor nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . ,
104-18 and/or the communications nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . . ,
106-10. The ECUs can be used in various applications, such as
automotive applications, communications applications, industrial
applications, medical applications, computer applications, and/or
consumer or appliance applications. In some embodiments, the ECUs
108-1, 108-2 are configured to control one or more electronic
components within an automobile system such as a vehicle. Each ECU
may collect data from one or more sensor nodes, run application
software, control one or more actuators, and/or communicate to
other ECU via the communication network. In these embodiments, the
ECUs include at least one engine control module (ECM), at least one
power train control module (PCM), at least one airbag, at least one
antilock brake, at least one cruise control module, at least one
electric power steering module, at least one audio system module,
at least one window control module, at least one door control
module, at least one mirror adjustment module, and/or at least one
battery and/or recharging system for electrical or hybrid
automotive systems. Although the communications network is
illustrated in FIG. 1 as including two ECUs, in other embodiments,
the communications network includes more than two ECUs or less than
two ECUs.
[0048] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the eighteen sensor
nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18 communicate according to various
communications protocols, such as, Universal Serial Bus (USB),
media-independent interface (MII) (e.g., reduced media-independent
interface (RMII), gigabit media-independent interface (GMII),
reduced gigabit media-independent interface (RGMII), 10-gigabit
media-independent interface (XGMII) and serial gigabit
media-independent interface (SGMII), etc., referred to collectively
as "xMII"), Camera Serial Interface (CSI), and High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI). The ECUs 108-1, 108-2 communicate
according to xMII and Display Serial Interface (DSI) protocols.
However, protocols according to which the sensor nodes and the ECUs
communicate are not limited to the protocols shown in FIG. 10.
Examples of the protocols according to which the sensor nodes and
the ECUs communicate include, without being limited to, USB, xMII,
CSI, Camera Serial Interface 2 (CSI-2), HDMI, DSI, Inter-integrated
Circuit (I.sup.2C) Protocol, Ethernet, Serial Peripheral Interface
(SPI), and general-purpose input/output (GPIO). In some
embodiments, each communications device within the communications
network 100 is assigned a unique address. For example, each of the
sensor nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18, the communications nodes
106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10, and the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 is assigned
a unique address. In some embodiments, communications devices
within the communications network 100 are assigned to cluster and
each cluster is assigned a unique address.
[0049] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, communications between
the sensor nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18, the communications
nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10, and the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 can
be characterized as "symmetrical" or "asymmetrical." In symmetrical
communications, both communications devices transmit and receive
data at the same data rate. For example, in an Ethernet-based
point-to-point network both communications devices transmit and
receive at, for example, 10 Gbps. In asymmetrical communications,
communications in one direction, e.g., on the forward channel,
occur at a higher rate than in the other direction, e.g., on the
backward channel. For example, a high data rate is needed from one
of the sensor nodes to a corresponding communications node or a
corresponding ECU (e.g., the forward channel) but a much lower data
rate is needed from a corresponding communications node or a
corresponding ECU to one of the sensor nodes (e.g., the backward
channel). An example use case for asymmetrical communications in an
IVN may be a camera (e.g., a backup camera), where a high data rate
is needed from the camera to a control/display ECU (e.g., the
forward channel) but a much lower data rate is needed from the
control/display ECU to the camera (e.g., the backward channel). For
example, a high data rate is needed from the camera, C1, to the
communication node 106-1 (e.g., the forward channel of a
communications link 118-1) but a much lower data rate is needed
from the communication node 106-1 to the camera, C1, (e.g., the
backward channel of the communications link 118-1) and a high data
rate is needed from the communication node 106-2 to the ECU 108-1
(e.g., the forward channel of a communications link 118-2) but a
much lower data rate is needed from the ECU 108-1 to the
communication node 106-2 (e.g., the backward channel of the
communications link 118-2). Another example use case for
asymmetrical communications in an IVN may be a LiDAR sensor or a
radar, where a high data rate is needed from the LiDAR sensor or
the radar to a control/display ECU (e.g., the forward channel) but
a much lower data rate is needed from the control/display ECU to
the LiDAR sensor or the radar (e.g., the backward channel). For
example, a high data rate is needed from the radar, R1, to the
communication node 106-3 (e.g., the forward channel of a
communications link 118-3) but a much lower data rate is needed
from the communication node 106-3 to the radar, R1, (e.g., the
backward channel of the communications link 118-3) and a high data
rate is needed from the communication node 106-3 to the ECU 108-3
(e.g., the forward channel of a communications link 118-4) but a
much lower data rate is needed from the ECU 108-2 to the
communication node 106-3, (e.g., the backward channel of the
communications link 118-4).
[0050] FIG. 2 illustrates a communications device 210 that can be
used in the communications network 100. FIG. 2 also depicts the
layers of the OSI reference model 240 as well as an expanded view
of the physical layer and the data link layer. The communications
device depicted in FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the sensor nodes
104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18, the communications nodes 106-1,
106-2, . . . , 106-10, and/or the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 depicted in
FIG. 1. However, the sensor nodes, the communications nodes, and/or
the ECUs depicted in FIG. 1 are not limited to the embodiment shown
in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the OSI reference model includes the
physical layer (also referred to as layer 1 or L1), the data link
layer (also referred to as layer 2 or L2), the network layer (also
referred to as layer 3 or L3), the transport layer (also referred
to as layer 4 or L4), the session layer (also referred to as layer
5 or L5), the presentation layer (also referred to as layer 6 or
L6), and the application layer (also referred to as layer 7 or L7).
Elements in the expanded view of the physical layer include
media-dependent sublayers of a transmission medium or media 202, a
media-dependent interface (MDI) 242, an auto-negotiation layer
(AN2) 244, a physical medium attachment (PMA) 246, and a physical
coding sublayer (PCS) 248, and media-independent sublayers of a
media-independent interface (MIT) 250 (e.g., reduced
media-independent interface (RMII), gigabit media-independent
interface (GMII), reduced gigabit media-independent interface
(RGMII), 10-gigabit media-independent interface (XGMII) and serial
gigabit media-independent interface (SGMII), etc., referred to
collectively as "xMII"), and a reconciliation sublayer 252. In an
embodiment, elements of the PCS, PMA, and AN2 are included in a
physical layer chip, often referred to as a "PHY chip" and or
simply as a "PHY" as indicated in FIG. 2. Elements in the expanded
view of the data link layer include a media access control (MAC)
layer 254, an optional MAC control layer 256, and a logical link
control (LLC) 258, or other MAC client layer. Higher layers 260 may
be implemented above the data link layer.
[0051] FIG. 3 illustrates a tunneling technique of the
communications device 210 depicted in FIG. 2. As illustrated in
FIG. 3, an adaptation layer 320 within the communications device
210 allows data in different protocol formats to tunnel through the
communications device by generating packets for all supported
protocol formats. In some embodiments, the adaptation layer
fragments each received data frame or packet if necessary, assigns
a protocol type for each fragment, and assigns a packet counter
field start and end value to each protocol type. For example, the
adaptation layer can assign to protocol type CSI-2 a packet counter
field that starts from 0 to 10, protocol type I.sup.2C a packet
counter field that starts from 11 to 20, and protocol type DSI a
packet counter field that starts from 21 to 30. In some
embodiments, the functionality of the adaptation layer is
implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), software, firmware, or a
combination thereof. Examples of protocol formats that can be
supported by the adaption layer include, without being limited to,
CSI, CSI-2, I.sup.2C Protocol, Ethernet, SPI, GPIO), and DSI.
Transport layer 322 forwards packets from the adaptation layer to
the data link layer. Data link layer 324 checks for error in
received packets and establishes a communications links with a
partner device using, for example, Start of Packet (SoP) and End of
Packet (EoP) signals. Physical layer 326 transmits and receives
data from other devices.
[0052] FIG. 4 illustrates a packet generation operation that can be
performed by the communications device 210 depicted in FIG. 2 using
the tunneling technique illustrated in FIG. 3. As illustrated in
FIG. 4, payload 424 of a data structure 428 (also includes a header
422 and a tail section 426) that is transmitted, generated, and/or
encoded according to a certain protocol (e.g., in a certain
protocol format) is packaged into a packet 430 with a header 432
and a tail section 436. Examples of information that can be
included in the header or the tail section include, without being
limited to, protocol type information, address information, packet
counter, priority information and error-detecting code (e.g.,
cyclic redundancy check (CRC)). For example, each payload segment,
payload_1, payload_2, payload_3, . . . , or payload_N (where N is
an integer greater than 1) of the data structure 428 (e.g., a frame
according to CSI-2, I.sup.2C, Ethernet, SPI, GPIO, or DSI), is
re-packaged by the adaptation layer 320 with the header 432 and the
tail section 436 to generate the packet 430. At the data link layer
324, SoP and EoP values are inserted into the packet 430 that is
generated by the adaptation layer.
[0053] Turning back to FIG. 1, link error detection techniques can
be used in the communications network 100 to detect communications
link errors within the communications network. However, typical
network technology such as complex error detection schemes using
large parity check bits may increase communications overhead for
communications networks with limited resources. In accordance with
an embodiment of the invention, a method of communications involves
at a communications device, detecting an erroneously transmitted
packet based on a communications protocol associated with the
erroneously transmitted packet, and from the communication device,
notifying a wired communications network of the erroneously
transmitted packet. By detecting an erroneously transmitted packet
based on a communications protocol associated with the erroneously
transmitted packet and notifying a wired communications network of
the erroneously transmitted packet, a link error within the wired
communications network can be diagnosed with low communications
overhead. Consequently, power consumption and communications
overhead of the wired communications network can be reduced.
[0054] FIG. 5 depicts a communications network 500 that includes
communication devices 510-1, 510-2. In the embodiment depicted in
FIG. 5, the communication device 510-1 includes a transceiver unit
572-1 and a controller unit 574-1, which includes a packet error
detection unit 576-1 and an optional storage unit 578-1. The
communication device 510-2 includes a transceiver unit 572-2 and a
controller unit 574-2, which includes a packet error detection unit
576-2 and an optional storage unit 578-2. The communication devices
510-1, 510-2 communicate through a communications channel 570 over
a transmission medium 502, such as an electrical cable or wire,
which is made of one or more conductive materials (e.g., metals).
In some embodiments, the communications channel 570 is a
symmetrical communications channel in which both communications
devices 510-1, 510-2 transmit and receive data at the same data
rate. In other embodiments, the communications channel 570 is an
asymmetrical communications channel in which communications devices
510-1, 510-2 transmit and receive data at different data rates
(e.g., communications in one direction of the communications
channel, e.g., on the forward channel, occur at a higher rate than
in the other direction of the communications channel, e.g., on the
backward channel). The communication devices 510-1, 510-2 depicted
in FIG. 5 are embodiments of the sensor nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . ,
104-18, the communications nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10,
and/or the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 depicted in FIG. 1. However, the
sensor nodes, the communications nodes, and/or the ECUs depicted in
FIG. 1 are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. Although
the illustrated communication devices 510-1, 510-2 are shown with
certain components and described with certain functionality herein,
other embodiments of the communication devices 510-1, 510-2 may
include fewer or more components to implement the same, less, or
more functionality. In addition, although the transceiver units,
the controller units, the storage units, and the packet generation
units are shown in FIG. 5 as being connected in certain manner
within the communication devices 510-1, 510-2, in other
embodiments, the transceiver units, the storage units, and the
packet generation units are connected in a different manner as
shown in FIG. 5.
[0055] In the communication device 510-1 depicted in FIG. 5, the
transceiver unit 572-1 is configured to transmit and/or receive
data from the transceiver unit 572-2 of the communication device
510-2 through the communications channel 570. The controller unit
574-1 is configured to perform data processing and other control
function (e.g., packet generation) for the communication device
510-1. In an embodiment, the controller unit is implemented within
a processor, such as a microcontroller, a host processor, a host, a
digital signal processor (DSP), or a central processing unit (CPU).
The packet error detection unit 576-1 is configured to detect a
received packet error the communication device 510-1. In some
embodiments, the packet error detection unit is configured to
detect an erroneously transmitted packet based on a communications
protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted packet and to
notify the communications network 500 (e.g., the communication
device 510-2) of the erroneously transmitted packet. By detecting
an erroneously transmitted packet based on a communications
protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted packet and
notifying the communications network of the erroneously transmitted
packet, a link error within the communications network (e.g., a
link failure of the communications channel 570) can be diagnosed
with low communications overhead. Consequently, power consumption
and communications overhead of the communications network can be
reduced. The packet error detection unit may be implemented in
hardware (e.g., circuits), software, firmware, or a combination
thereof. The storage unit 578-1 is configured to store information
that can be used for packet error detection and/or other
information. For example, in an embodiment, the storage unit 578-1
is configured to store a lookup table of communications protocol(s)
and/or other communications parameter(s) associated with data
packets received at the communications device 510-1 (e.g., packets
of which the communications device 510-1 is the intended
recipient). The storage unit 578-1 can be implemented by various
types of storage elements. Examples of the storage unit 578-1
includes, without being limited to, a semiconductor or solid-state
memory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory
(ROM)), magnetic tape, a computer hard disk, a flash drive, a
removable computer diskette, a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical
disk.
[0056] In the communication device 510-2 depicted in FIG. 5, the
transceiver unit 572-2 is configured to transmit and/or receive
data from the transceiver unit 572-1 of the communication device
510-1 through the communications channel 570. The controller unit
574-2 is configured to perform data processing and other control
function (e.g., packet generation) for the communication device
510-2. In an embodiment, the controller unit is implemented within
a processor, such as a microcontroller, a host processor, a host, a
DSP, or a CPU. The packet error detection unit 576-2 is configured
to detect a received packet error the communication device 510-2.
In some embodiments, the packet error detection unit is configured
to detect an erroneously transmitted packet based on a
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet and to notify the communications network 500 (e.g., the
communication device 510-1) of the erroneously transmitted packet.
By detecting an erroneously transmitted packet based on a
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet and notifying the communications network of the erroneously
transmitted packet, a link error within the communications network
(e.g., a link failure of the communications channel 570) can be
diagnosed with low communications overhead. Consequently, power
consumption and communications overhead of the communications
network can be reduced. The packet error detection unit may be
implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), software, firmware, or a
combination thereof. The storage unit 578-2 is configured to store
information that can be used for packet error detection and/or
other information. For example, in an embodiment, the storage unit
578-2 is configured to store a lookup table of communications
protocol(s) and/or other communications parameter(s) associated
with data packets received at the communications device 510-1
(e.g., packets of which the communications device 510-2 is the
intended recipient). The storage unit 578-1 can be implemented by
various types of storage elements. Examples of the storage unit
578-1 includes, without being limited to, a semiconductor or
solid-state memory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM) or a
read-only memory (ROM)), magnetic tape, a computer hard disk, a
flash drive, a removable computer diskette, a rigid magnetic disk,
and an optical disk.
[0057] FIG. 6 depicts a communications network 600 that includes
multiple sensor nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4, communications
nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3, and ECUs 608-1, 608-2 and that
implements a packet error detection technique. The communications
network can be used in various applications, such as automotive
applications, communications applications, industrial applications,
medical applications, computer applications, and/or consumer or
appliance applications. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, the
communications network is a wired communications network and the
sensor nodes, the communications nodes, and the ECUs communicate
through electrical cables or wires, which are made of conductive
materials (e.g., metals). Although the illustrated communications
network 600 is shown with certain components and described with
certain functionality herein, other embodiments of the
communications network may include fewer or more components to
implement the same, less, or more functionality. For example, the
communications network may include at least one actuator and/or at
least one display. In another example, in some embodiments, the
communications network may include different number of sensor
node(s), communications node(s), and/or ECU(s) as shown in FIG. 6
and may have a different network topology as in FIG. 6.
[0058] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, each sensor node
604-1, 604-2, 604-3, or 604-4 includes a transceiver unit (PHY)
612-1, 612-2, 612-3, or 612-4 configured to transmit and/or receive
data packets, a sensor unit 614-1, 614-2, 614-3, or 614-4
configured to sense one or more environmental or operational
parameters or data, for example, within an automotive system (e.g.,
a vehicle) and/or surrounding an automotive system (e.g., a
vehicle), and a control unit 616-1, 616-2, 616-3, or 616-4
configured to control the corresponding sensor unit, process sensor
data, and/or process control data. The sensor nodes 604-1, 604-2,
604-3, 604-4 can be controlled and/or communication in various
protocols. For example, the sensor nodes can be controlled by
control data in I.sup.2C format from the communications nodes
606-1, 606-2, 606-3, and ECUs 608-1, 608-2 and transmit data in
xMII, CSI-2, and GPIO formats to the communications nodes 606-1,
606-2, 606-3, and ECUs 608-1, 608-2. However, protocol formats that
can be supported by the sensor nodes are not limited to the
protocol formats shown in FIG. 6.
[0059] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, each of the
communications nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3 includes a controller unit
674-1, 674-2, or 674-3 configured to perform data processing and
other control function (e.g., packet generation), for example,
based on a lookup table 680-1, 680-2, or 680-3. The communications
nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3 may be implemented as daisy chain nodes.
In addition, the communications node 606-1 includes transceiver
unit (PHY) 672-1, 672-2, 672-3 connected to ports (a), (b), and (c)
of the communications node 606-1 and configured to transmit and/or
receive data packets through ports (a), (b), and (c), respectively,
of the communications node 606-1. The communications node 606-2
includes transceiver unit (PHY) 672-4, 672-5, 672-6, 672-7
connected to ports (a), (b), (c), and (d) of the communications
node 606-2 and configured to transmit and/or receive data packets
through ports (a), (b), (c), and (d) respectively, of the
communications node 606-2. The communications node 606-3 includes
transceiver unit (PHY) 672-8, 672-9, 672-10 connected to ports (a),
(b), and (c) of the communications node 606-3 and configured to
transmit and/or receive data packets through ports (a), (b), and
(c), respectively, of the communications node 606-3. However,
number(s) of port(s) and/or transceiver(s) of the communications
nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3 are not limited to numbers of ports and
transceivers shown in FIG. 6.
[0060] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, each of the ECUs
608-1, 608-2 includes a controller unit 674-4, 674-5 configured to
perform data processing and other control function (e.g., packet
generation) and a transceiver unit (PHY) 672-11 or 672-12 connected
to port (a) of the ECU 608-1 or 608-2 and configured to transmit
and/or receive data packets through port (a) of the ECU 608-1 or
608-2. However, number(s) of port(s) and/or transceiver(s) of the
ECUs 608-1, 608-2 are not limited to numbers of ports and
transceivers shown in FIG. 6.
[0061] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, each of the
communications nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3 maintains the lookup table
680-1, 680-2, or 680-3, which may include information such as
protocol type, packet counter, and address (e.g., destination
address and/or source address) of data packets to be transmitted
the communications node. Each of the controller units 674-1, 674-2,
674-3 may be configured to detect an erroneously transmitted packet
based on information stored in a respective lookup table. In some
embodiments, each of the controller units 674-1, 674-2, 674-3 is
configured to detect an erroneously transmitted packet based on a
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet and to notify the communications network 600 of the
erroneously transmitted packet. By detecting an erroneously
transmitted packet based on a communications protocol associated
with the erroneously transmitted packet and notifying the
communications network of the erroneously transmitted packet, a
link error within the communications network (e.g., a link failure
between an ECU and an communications node, a link failure between
communications nodes, or a link failure between a communications
node and a sensor node) can be diagnosed with low communications
overhead. Consequently, power consumption and communications
overhead of the communications network can be reduced. For example,
protocol type CSI-2 may be assigned a code or identifier 0x01,
protocol type I.sup.2C may be assigned a code or identifier 0x02,
protocol type xMII may be assigned a code or identifier 0x03, and
protocol type GPIO may be assigned a code or identifier 0x04.
Packet counter value for protocol type CSI-2 may be assigned a
range of 0x00 to 0x10, packet counter value for protocol type
I.sup.2C may be assigned a range of 0x11 to 0x13, packet counter
value for protocol type xMII may be assigned a range of 0x14 to
0x29, and packet counter value for protocol type GPIO may be
assigned a range of 0x30 to 0x35. When the communications node
606-1 or 606-2 receives a packet with protocol type 0x03 or packet
counter value that falls in range 0x14 to 0x29, an erroneously
transmitted packet is detected because only the sensor node 604-1
generates data in xMII format and the sensor node 604-1 is not
connected to either of the communications nodes 606-1, 606-2. In
some embodiments, each of the communications nodes 606-1, 606-2,
606-3 includes a incoming stream register 686-1, 686-2, or 686-3
that is configured to store information (e.g., addresses (e.g.,
destination addresses and/or source addresses), packet counter
values, and protocol types of received packets.)
[0062] In some embodiments, each of the communications nodes 606-1,
606-2, 606-3 updates the lookup table 680-1, 680-2, or 680-3
periodically. For example, each of the communications nodes 606-1,
606-2, 606-3 updates the corresponding lookup table 680-1, 680-2,
or 680-3 to add a new entry in First-in-Last-Out manner. Once the
communications node 606-1, 606-2, or 606-3 detects an erroneously
transmitted packet, the communications node may set a local status
register to indicate that the received packet is erroneously
transmitted and notify a link partner that the received packet is
erroneously transmitted. In some embodiments, the communications
node 606-1, 606-2, or 606-3 notifies a link partner through an
operations, administration, and management (OAM) packet or
frame.
[0063] FIG. 7 depicts four proper or correct (error-free)
communications paths 790-1, 790-2, 790-3, 790-4 between the sensor
nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4 and ECUs 608-1, 608-2 of the
communications network 600 depicted in FIG. 6. The communications
nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3 and/or the ECUs 608-1, 608-2 check
packets received from the sensor nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4
against the lookup tables 680-1, 680-2, 680-3 or lookup tables of
the ECUs 608-1, 608-2 and determines that packets from the sensor
nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4 are not erroneously transmitted,
based on protocol type(s), packet counter values, and/or address
information (e.g., destination address and/or source address) of
the packets.
[0064] FIG. 8 depicts three proper or correct (error-free)
communications paths 790-1, 790-2, 790-3, and an incorrect or
erroneous communications path 890-4 between the sensor nodes 604-1,
604-2, 604-3, 604-4 and ECUs 608-1, 608-2 of the communications
network 600 depicted in FIG. 6. The communications nodes 606-1,
606-2, 606-3 and/or the ECUs 608-1, 608-2 check packets received
from the sensor nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4 against the lookup
tables 680-1, 680-2, 680-3 or lookup tables of the ECUs 608-1,
608-2. Specifically, the ECU 608-2 checks one or more packets
received from the sensor node 604-4 through the erroneous
communications path 890-4 against a lookup table that is stored
locally at the ECU 608-2 and determines that packets from the
sensor node 604-4 are erroneously transmitted, based on protocol
type(s), packet counter values, and/or address information (e.g.,
destination address and/or source address) of the packets. For
example, a GPIO packet from the sensor node 604-4 is received by
the ECU 608-2 and the ECU 608-2 determines that the GPIO packet is
an erroneously transmitted packet because the ECU 608-2 should not
receive GPIO packet based on its lookup table. The ECU 608-2 sets
its internal status register to indicate the erroneously
transmitted packet and notifies the communications node 606-2
through an OAM packet indicating that the packet received from the
sensor node 604-4 is erroneously transmitted (i.e., the ECU 608-2
is not the intended recipient of the packet from the sensor node
604-4). The OAM packet may be transmitted between the transceiver
units (PHYs) 672-12, 672-8 and may include protocol type, packet
counter value, and/or address information (e.g., destination
address and/or source address) of the packet erroneously
transmitted from the sensor node 604-4. In some embodiments, each
of the communications nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3 and the ECUs 608-1,
608-2 performs forward error correction (FEC) or cyclic redundancy
check (CRC) on a received packet before or after determining
whether the received packet is erroneously transmitted and stores
the result in a local register.
[0065] After the communications node 606-2 receives an OAM
notification packet from the ECU 608-2 indicating that the packet
received from the sensor node 604-4 is erroneously transmitted
(i.e., the ECU 608-2 is not the intended recipient of the packet
from the sensor node 604-4), the communications node 606-2 checks
the OAM notification packet against an "incoming stream register
table" stored in its incoming stream register 686-2. If the content
of the incoming stream register table at the communications node
606-2 is different from received parameters (e.g., protocol type,
packet counter value, and/or address information (e.g., destination
address and/or source address)) in the OAM notification packet from
the ECU 608-2, it is determined that the link between the ECU 608-2
and the communications node 606-2 is erroneous (e.g., caused by one
or more routing errors and/or one or more packet forwarding
errors). However, if the content of the incoming stream register
table at the communications node 606-2 is the same or similar to
received parameters (e.g., protocol type, packet counter value,
and/or address information (e.g., destination address and/or source
address)) in the OAM notification packet from the ECU 608-2, it is
determined that the link between the ECU 608-2 and the
communications node 606-2 is error free, and the communications
node 606-2 further notifies back to the communications node 606-2
and the sensor node 604-2 through an OAM notification packet about
the packet erroneously transmitted to the ECU 608-2. The
communications node 606-1 checks the OAM notification packet
received from the communications node 606-2 against an "incoming
stream register table" stored in its incoming stream register
686-1. If the content of the incoming stream register table at the
communications node 606-1 is different from received parameters
(e.g., protocol type, packet counter value, and/or address
information (e.g., destination address and/or source address)) in
the OAM notification packet from the communications node 606-2, it
is determined that the link between the communications node 606-1
and the communications node 606-2 is erroneous (e.g., caused by one
or more routing errors and/or one or more packet forwarding
errors). However, if the content of the incoming stream register
table at the communications node 606-1 is the same or similar to
received parameters (e.g., protocol type, packet counter value,
and/or address information (e.g., destination address and/or source
address)) in the OAM notification packet from the communications
node 606-2, it is determined that the link between the
communications node 606-1 and the communications node 606-2 is
error free, and the communications node 606-1 further notifies the
sensor nodes 604-3, 604-4 through an OAM notification packet about
the packet erroneously transmitted to the ECU 608-2.
[0066] FIG. 9 depicts a packet 930 that can be transmitted in the
communications network 600 depicted in FIG. 6. The packet 930 can
be generated, transmitted, and/or received and processed by the
sensor nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4, communications nodes
606-1, 606-2, 606-3, and/or ECUs 608-1, 608-2. As depicted in FIG.
9, the packet 930 includes a header 932, a payload 934, and a CRC
936. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 9, the header of the packet
includes a protocol type data field 940-1, an address data field
940-2, a priority data field 940-3, and a packet counter data field
940-4. The protocol type data field contains information that
indicates a communications protocol under which the packet or the
payload of the packet is transmitted, generated, and/or encoded
(e.g., in a certain protocol format). The address data field
contains address information (e.g., a source address and/or a
destination address) to indicate a source and/or a destination of
the packet. The priority data field contains information that
indicates priority of the packet. The packet counter data field
contains information that indicates a packet counter value or a
packet sequence value, which can be used as a timestamp from a
transmitting device or to determine if a particular packet is
lost.
[0067] FIG. 10 depicts an example of an incoming stream register
table 1000 that can be used by the communications node 606-2
depicted in FIG. 6. As depicted in FIG. 10, the incoming stream
register table contains protocols entries for three packets,
packet_1, packet_2, packet_3. Specifically, packet_1 is in the
CSI-2 format (0x01), has a packet counter value of 0x06, and has an
address of Addr_1, packet_2 is in the I.sup.2C format (0x02), has a
packet counter value of 0x12, and has an address of Addr_2, and
packet_3 is in the GPIO format (0x04), has a packet counter value
of 0x31, and has an address of Addr_3. Although certain number of
entries and values are shown in the incoming stream register table
of FIG. 10, in other embodiments, the incoming stream register
table may contain different values and/or different number of
entries.
[0068] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an erroneous link diagnosing
process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The
erroneous link diagnosing process can be performed by the sensor
nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4, communications nodes 606-1,
606-2, 606-3, and ECUs 608-1, 608-2 of the communications network
600 depicted in FIG. 6. At block 1102, a second communications
device receives an OAM notification packet from a first
communications device indicating that a packet is erroneously
transmitted to the first communications device (i.e., the first
communications device is not the intended recipient of the packet)
and checks the OAM notification packet against an "incoming stream
register table." At block 1104, it is determined if the content of
the incoming stream register table at the second communications
device is the same as received parameters (e.g., protocol type,
packet counter value, and/or address information (e.g., destination
address and/or source address)) in the OAM notification packet
received from the first communications device.
[0069] Next, at block 1106, if/when the content of the incoming
stream register table at the second communications device is
different from received parameters (e.g., protocol type, packet
counter value, and/or address information (e.g., destination
address and/or source address)) in the OAM notification packet
received from the first communications device, it is determined
that the link between the first and second communications devices
is erroneous (e.g., caused by one or more routing errors and/or one
or more packet forwarding errors). At block 1108, if/when the
content of the incoming stream register table at the second
communications device is the same as received parameters (e.g.,
protocol type, packet counter value, and/or address information
(e.g., destination address and/or source address)) in the OAM
notification packet received from the first communications device,
it is determined that the link between the first and second
communications devices is error free, and the erroneous link
diagnosing process goes to block 1100, and the second
communications device further notifies a third communications
device through an OAM notification packet about the packet
erroneously transmitted to the first communications device.
[0070] At block 1110, a third communications device receives the
OAM notification packet from the second communications device
indicating that a packet is erroneously transmitted to the first
communications device (i.e., the first communications device is not
the intended recipient of the packet) and checks the OAM
notification packet against an "incoming stream register table." At
block 1112, it is determined if the content of the incoming stream
register table at the third communications device is the same as
received parameters (e.g., protocol type, packet counter value,
and/or address information (e.g., destination address and/or source
address)) in the OAM notification packet received from the second
communications device.
[0071] Next, at block 1114, if/when the content of the incoming
stream register table at the third communications device is
different from received parameters (e.g., protocol type, packet
counter value, and/or address information (e.g., destination
address and/or source address)) in the OAM notification packet
received from the second communications device, it is determined
that the link between the second and third communications devices
is erroneous (e.g., caused by one or more routing errors and/or one
or more packet forwarding errors). At block 1108, if/when the
content of the incoming stream register table at the third
communications device is different from received parameters (e.g.,
protocol type, packet counter value, and/or address information
(e.g., destination address and/or source address)) in the OAM
notification packet received from the second communications device,
it is determined that the link between the second and third
communications devices is error free. The erroneous link diagnosing
process may goes to additional steps in which the third
communications device further notifies a fourth communications
device through an OAM notification packet about the packet
erroneously transmitted to the first communications device.
[0072] FIG. 12 depicts a communications network 1200 that includes
two communications devices 1210-1, 1210-2 and that implements an
erroneous link diagnosing technique. The communications devices
1210-1, 1210-2 may be an embodiment of the sensor nodes 104-1,
104-2, . . . , 104-18, the communications nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . .
, 106-10, and/or the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 depicted in FIG. 1, the
communications device 510-1, 510-2 depicted in FIG. 2, the
communications device 210 depicted in FIG. 2, and/or the sensor
nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4, the communications nodes 606-1,
606-2, 606-3, and/or the ECUs 608-1, 608-2 depicted in FIG. 6.
However, the sensor nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18, the
communications nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10, and/or the ECUs
108-1, 108-2 depicted in FIG. 1, the communications device 510-1,
510-2 depicted in FIG. 2, the communications device 210 depicted in
FIG. 2, and/or the sensor nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4, the
communications nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3, and/or the ECUs 608-1,
608-2 depicted in FIG. 6 are not limited to the embodiment shown in
FIG. 12. The communications network 1200 may include additional or
less components/devices to perform additional or less
functions.
[0073] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 12, the communication
device 1210-1 includes two PHY units 1226-1, 1226-2 and a data and
network layer 1224-1 configured to perform data link layer and/or
network layer function. The PHY unit 1226-1 includes an OAM decoder
1282-1 configured to decode an OAM packet, a diagnostic unit 1284-1
configured to perform a diagnosis operation (e.g., packet error
detection, erroneous link diagnosis, FEC, and/or CRC), a PHY and
link status register 1286-1 configured to store physical and link
information (e.g., results from the diagnostic unit 1284-1), an OAM
encoder 1288-1 configured to encode or generate an OAM packet, and
a multiplexer or selector 1292-1 configured to select one of the
inputs from the data and network layer 1224-1 and the OAM encoder
1288-1 to transmit through a communications link 1290-1. The OAM
decoder 1282-1, the diagnostic unit 1284-1, and/or the OAM encoder
1288-1 may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), software,
firmware, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the OAM
decoder 1282-1, the diagnostic unit 1284-1, and/or the OAM encoder
1288-1 is implemented using a processor, such as a microcontroller,
a host processor, a host, a DSP, or a CPU. The PHY unit 1226-2
includes an OAM decoder 1282-2 configured to decode an OAM packet,
a diagnostic unit 1284-2 configured to perform a diagnosis
operation (e.g., packet error detection, erroneous link diagnosis,
FEC, and/or CRC), a PHY and link status register 1286-2 configured
to store physical and link information (e.g., results from the
diagnostic unit 1284-2), an OAM encoder 1288-2 configured to encode
or generate an OAM packet, and a multiplexer or selector 1292-2
configured to select one of the inputs from the data and network
layer 1224-2 and the OAM encoder 1288-2 to transmit through a
communications link 1290-2. The OAM decoder 1282-2, the diagnostic
unit 1284-2, and/or the OAM encoder 1288-2 may be implemented in
hardware (e.g., circuits), software, firmware, or a combination
thereof. In an embodiment, the OAM decoder 1282-2, the diagnostic
unit 1284-2, and/or the OAM encoder 1288-2 is implemented using a
processor, such as a microcontroller, a host processor, a host, a
DSP, or a CPU.
[0074] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 12, the communication
device 1210-2 includes a PHY unit 1226-3, a data and network layer
1224-1 configured to perform data link layer and/or network layer
function, and an adaption layer 1220 that allows data in different
protocol formats to tunnel through the communications device by
generating packets for all supported protocol formats. The PHY unit
1226-3 includes an OAM decoder 1282-3 configured to decode an OAM
packet, a diagnostic unit 1284-3 configured to perform a diagnosis
operation (e.g., packet error detection, erroneous link diagnosis,
FEC, and/or CRC), a PHY and link status register 1286-3 configured
to store physical and link information (e.g., results from the
diagnostic unit 1284-3), an OAM encoder 1288-3 configured to encode
or generate an OAM packet, and a multiplexer or selector 1292-3
configured to select one of the inputs from the data and network
layer 1224-3 and the OAM encoder 1288-3 to transmit through a
communications link 1290-2. The OAM decoder 1282-3, the diagnostic
unit 1284-3, and/or the OAM encoder 1288-3 may be implemented in
hardware (e.g., circuits), software, firmware, or a combination
thereof. In an embodiment, the OAM decoder 1282-3, the diagnostic
unit 1284-3, and/or the OAM encoder 1288-3 is implemented using a
processor, such as a microcontroller, a host processor, a host, a
DSP, or a CPU.
[0075] In an operation of the communications network 1200, the data
and network layer 1224-1 of the communication device 1210-1
generates a packet 1230-1, which includes a header 1232, a payload
1234, and a tail section 1236, and the OAM encoder 1288-2 of the
communication device 1210-1 encodes the packet 1230-1 to generate
an OAM packet 1230-2, which includes the header 1232, the payload
1234, an OAM section 1238, which may include protocol type, packet
counter value, and/or address information (e.g., destination
address and/or source address)) of an erroneously transmitted
packet, and the tail section 1236. The communication device 1210-2
receives the OAM packet 1230-2 and the OAM decoder 1282-3 of the
communication device 1210-2 decodes the OAM packet 1230-2, and the
adaption layer 1220 of the communication device 1210-2 re-generates
or recovers the packet 1230-1.
[0076] FIG. 13 depicts a communications device 1310 in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention. The communications device 1310
may be an embodiment of the sensor nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . ,
104-18, the communications nodes 106-1, 106-2, . . . , 106-10,
and/or the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 depicted in FIG. 1, the communications
device 510-1, 510-2 depicted in FIG. 2, the communications device
210 depicted in FIG. 2, the sensor nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3,
604-4, the communications nodes 606-1, 606-2, 606-3, and/or the
ECUs 608-1, 608-2 depicted in FIG. 6, and/or the communications
devices 1210-1, 1210-2 depicted in FIG. 12. However, the sensor
nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18, the communications nodes 106-1,
106-2, . . . , 106-10, and/or the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 depicted in
FIG. 1, the communications device 510-1, 510-2 depicted in FIG. 2,
the communications device 210 depicted in FIG. 2, the sensor nodes
604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4, the communications nodes 606-1, 606-2,
606-3, and/or the ECUs 608-1, 608-2 depicted in FIG. 6, and/or the
communications devices 1210-1, 1210-2 depicted in FIG. 12 are not
limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 13. In the embodiment
depicted in FIG. 15, the communications device 1310 includes three
ports, A, B, C, and three communications units 1398-1, 1398-2,
1398-3 for the three ports, A, B, C. However, the number of ports
of the communications node is not limited to three. In some
embodiments, the communications units are implemented in hardware
(e.g., circuits), software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In
the embodiment depicted in FIG. 13, the communications unit 1398-1
includes an adaption layer 1320 that is configured to adapt data of
different protocols into a universal format and a transport layer
1332 with a port-to-protocol look-up table 1392. The communications
unit 1398-2 includes a receiver 1314A, a transmitter 1312A, a
physical medium attachment (PMA) 1346A, a physical coding sublayer
(PCS) 1348A, and a data link unit 1368A configured to perform data
link layer function. The communications unit 1398-3 includes a
receiver 1314B, a transmitter 1312B, a PMA 1346B, a PCS 1348B, and
a data link unit 1368B configured to perform data link layer
function. In some embodiments, the communications unit 1398-2 or
1398-3 is configured to receive a packet at a first port, where a
header of the packet includes an address of a destination cluster
within a communications network and a communications protocol
according to which a destination communications device in the
destination cluster communicates, and based on the communications
protocol and a port-to-protocol lookup table, transmit the packet
or a payload within the packet from the first port to a second port
to which the destination communications device is connected. In
some embodiments, the communications unit 1398-1 is configured to
extract the payload within the packet and create a second packet in
accordance with the communications protocol using the payload.
[0077] FIG. 14 is a process flow diagram of a method of
communications in accordance to an embodiment of the invention.
According to the method, at block 1402, at a communications device,
an erroneously transmitted packet is detected based on a
communications protocol associated with the erroneously transmitted
packet. At block 1404, from the communication device, a wired
communications network of the erroneously transmitted packet is
notified of the erroneously transmitted packet. The communications
device may be similar to, the same as, or a component of the sensor
nodes 104-1, 104-2, . . . , 104-18, the communications nodes 106-1,
106-2, . . . , 106-10, and the ECUs 108-1, 108-2 depicted in FIG.
1, the communications device 210 depicted in FIG. 2, the
communications device 510-1, 510-2 depicted in FIG. 5, the sensor
nodes 604-1, 604-2, 604-3, 604-4, communications nodes 606-1,
606-2, 606-3, and ECUs 608-1, 608-2 depicted in FIG. 6, the
communications device 1210-1, 1210-2 depicted in FIG. 12, and/or
the communications device 1310 depicted in FIG. 13. The wired
communications network may be similar to, the same as, or a
component of the communications network 100 depicted in FIG. 1, the
communications network 500 depicted in FIG. 5, and/or the
communications network 1200 depicted in FIG. 12.
[0078] Although the operations of the method(s) herein are shown
and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of
each method may be altered so that certain operations may be
performed in an inverse order or so that certain operations may be
performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In
another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct
operations may be implemented in an intermittent and/or alternating
manner.
[0079] It should also be noted that at least some of the operations
for the methods described herein may be implemented using software
instructions stored on a computer useable storage medium for
execution by a computer. As an example, an embodiment of a computer
program product includes a computer useable storage medium to store
a computer readable program.
[0080] The computer-useable or computer-readable storage medium can
be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or
semiconductor system (or apparatus or device). Examples of
non-transitory computer-useable and computer-readable storage media
include a semiconductor or solid-state memory, magnetic tape, a
removable computer diskette, a random-access memory (RAM), a
read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk.
Current examples of optical disks include a compact disk with read
only memory (CD-ROM), a compact disk with read/write (CD-R/W), and
a digital video disk (DVD).
[0081] Alternatively, embodiments of the invention may be
implemented entirely in hardware or in an implementation containing
both hardware and software elements. In embodiments which use
software, the software may include but is not limited to firmware,
resident software, microcode, etc.
[0082] Although specific embodiments of the invention have been
described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to
the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and
illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the
claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
* * * * *