System and method for vehicle diagnostic tester coordination

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a "system and method for vehicle diagnostic tester coordination". A method and apparatus for coordinating multiple vehicle diagnostic testers are disclosed. An exemplary vehicle includes a communication bus, an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to one of the communication buses, and a gateway module. The gateway module is configured to receive a request from a first onboard diagnostic (IVD) tester to communicate with the ECU, and responsively block communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle system diagnostics and, more particularly, to systems and methods for vehicle diagnostic tester coordination. Background Art

[0002] Modern vehicles may include many systems related to motion, power control, lighting, passenger comfort, etc. These systems are often electronically coupled together using a communication bus so that one or more systems can issue commands, request information, and otherwise access data or information collected by the various systems.

[0003] Diagnostic information may be collected and used by one or more systems to provide indications to the driver (eg, warning lights) as well as to provide information regarding the status of various systems (eg, emissions data, vehicle computer health, etc.). Summary of the invention

[0004] The appended claims define the present application. This disclosure summarizes aspects of the embodiments and should not be used to limit the claims. Other implementations are contemplated based on the techniques described herein, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description, and such implementations are intended to fall within the scope of the present application.

[0005] An exemplary embodiment is shown, which describes a system, apparatus, and method for coordinating diagnostic testers of a vehicle communication network. An exemplary disclosed vehicle includes a communication bus; an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to one of the communication buses; and a gateway module. The gateway module is configured to receive a request from a first on-board diagnostic (IVD) tester to communicate with the ECU, and responsively prevent communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU.

[0006] An exemplary disclosed method includes receiving, via a gateway module of a vehicle communication network, a request for communication between a first on-board diagnostic (IVD) tester and an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the vehicle communication network includes a plurality of communication buses. The method further includes responsively preventing communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] To better understand the present invention, reference may be made to the embodiments shown in the following drawings. The components in the drawings may not be drawn to scale and related elements may be omitted, or in some cases, the scale may have been exaggerated in order to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. In addition, as is known in the art, the system components may be arranged differently. In addition, in the drawings, the same reference numerals represent corresponding components in several views.

[0008] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0009] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exemplary block diagram of electronic components of a vehicle.

[0010] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] While the present invention may be embodied in various forms, certain exemplary and non-limiting embodiments are shown in the drawings and will be described below, it being understood that this disclosure is considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments shown.

[0012] As described above, a vehicle may include one or more systems or devices that are configured to collect information about the vehicle and provide the information for use by one or more other systems or devices. Some such systems may be referred to as on-board or vehicle diagnostic (IVD) testers. These IVD testers may be internal vehicle components configured to monitor the status of one or more vehicle systems in order to provide warnings and alerts to the driver or other parties. A given vehicle may have multiple IVD testers, each of which is configured to monitor and / or provide alerts for a specific scenario.

[0013] The vehicle may also include a port into which an off-board diagnostic tester may be plugged. The off-board diagnostic tester may be an aftermarket component, such as a vehicle insurance company plug-in that may be used to monitor speed, vehicle usage, and other vehicle characteristics.

[0014] The vehicle may also include an electronic control unit (ECU) that is configured to collect vehicle information via sensors, control various vehicle systems, and otherwise interact with other systems and devices on the vehicle communication network.

[0015] Some vehicle communication networks may include multiple different communication buses, each of which is configured to allow communication between one or more ECUs, IVD testers, and other systems or devices. These communication buses (in addition to various computing systems and devices) may be configured to operate using the CAN protocol.

[0016] In some examples, one or more IVD testers may need information from one or more ECUs in order to determine whether to provide an alarm or take some other action. When multiple IVD testers request information at the same time, or when the requests overlap in time, the communication network may have difficulty processing the information and may inadvertently enter a "bus off" state. This may be attributed to the structure of the CAN protocol for communication between various components, which typically only allows a single ID to be used to receive diagnostic requests. Therefore, a given ECU may receive multiple requests from multiple IVD testers, but may not be able to determine the source of the request or the destination to which the requested information should ultimately be transmitted. This may lead to erroneous, lost or unimplemented diagnostic requests and other such confusions on the vehicle communication network. These problems are particularly present in the presence of multiple communication buses, each with one or more IVD testers and ECUs. Therefore, there is a need for a method that allows multiple IVD testers and off-board diagnostic testers plugged into ports to operate effectively on the same communication network.

[0017] In view of the above problems, the examples disclosed herein may include providing a network architecture that enables multiple IVD testers to coexist, and each request information from the ECU may or may not be on the same communication bus. A gateway module may be used to coordinate IVD tester requests and coordinate the propagation of requests to each communication bus and / or ECU, as well as the response from the ECU that provides the requested information. In this way, multiple IVD testers requesting information at the same time will not make the network unavailable, and can be coordinated so that each request is processed in sequence.

[0018] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle 100 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle 100 may be a standard gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or any other type of vehicle that enables mobility. The vehicle 100 may be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous, or autonomous. The vehicle 100 may include mobility-related parts such as a powertrain with an engine, a transmission, a suspension, a drive shaft, and / or wheels. In the example shown, the vehicle 100 may include one or more electronic components (described below with reference to FIG. 1 ). Figure 2 described).

[0019] like Figure 1As shown, the vehicle 100 may include a communication bus 102 , IVD testers 104A and 104B, an ECU 106 , and a gateway module 108 .

[0020] The communication bus 102 may include one or more data buses that communicatively couple various systems and devices of the vehicle 100, including the IVD testers 104A and 104B, as well as the ECU 106 and the gateway module 108. In some examples, the communication bus 102 may be implemented according to the controller area network (CAN) bus protocol defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11898-1. Alternatively, in some examples, the communication bus 102 may be a media oriented systems transport (MOST) bus or a CAN-flexible data (CAN-FD) bus (ISO 11898-7).

[0021] The IVD testers 104A and 104B may include one or more processors and / or memories and may be configured to request information about other vehicle systems in order to determine whether an error or fault code, alarm, or other warning should be provided to the driver or other party. Some IVD testers may be related to vehicle computing system health, vehicle emissions, vehicle engine characteristics, etc.

[0022] The IVD testers 104A and 104B may be embedded in the vehicle 100 and communicatively coupled to one or more communication buses such that they do not require access to external ports or plug-ins to operate. Thus, the IVD testers 104A and 104B may be separate from plug-in modules that are coupled to the vehicle via external ports.

[0023] ECU 106 can monitor and control one or more subsystems of vehicle 100. ECU 106 can communicate and exchange information via communication bus 102. In addition, ECU 106 can communicate characteristics (such as the state of ECU 106, sensor readings, control status, errors and diagnostic codes, etc.) to other ECUs, diagnostic testers, or other systems or devices and / or receive requests from other ECUs, diagnostic testers, or other systems or devices. Some vehicles may have seventy or more ECUs located at various locations around the vehicle, which are communicatively coupled through vehicle data bus 102. ECU 106 can be a discrete group of electronic devices that include its own one or more circuits (such as integrated circuits, microprocessors, memories, storage devices, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators, and / or mounting hardware.

[0024] Some exemplary ECUs may include an engine control unit, a powertrain control module, a body control module, a driver seat module, a driver door module, an anti-lock braking system, a telematics control unit, etc. Each ECU may include one or more sensors, systems, or devices configured to collect information about one or more vehicle characteristics that are specific to a given ECU.

[0025] In some examples, each ECU may be configured to receive a request for information and responsively transmit the requested information via the communication bus 102. Additionally, one or more ECUs may also include an IVD tester that may be configured to request information from other ECUs for use by the ECU of which the IVD tester is a part.

[0026] The gateway module 108 may include one or more processors and / or memories and may be configured to perform one or more actions or functions described herein. In the case where the vehicle includes multiple communication buses, the gateway module 108 may be communicatively coupled to all data buses. This may allow requests from an IVD tester on one bus to be distributed to one or more other buses, which may be coupled to a specific ECU requested by the IVD tester.

[0027] Thus, the gateway module 108 can be configured to act as middleware for IVD testers and ECUs coupled to the same or different communication buses. The gateway module 108 can be further configured to receive requests from various IVD testers and grant access rights one at a time so that multiple requests are not active at the same time and no confusion about the source, destination, and / or requested information occurs.

[0028] The gateway module 108 is further coupled to an external port configured to receive an off-board diagnostic tester, such as a manufacturer tool or an insurance company plug-in tool.

[0029] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram 200 showing electronic components of a vehicle 100 is shown according to some embodiments. In the example shown, the electronic components 200 include a gateway module 208, a plurality of IVD testers 204A-D, and a plurality of ECUs 206A-H, all of which are communicatively coupled via a plurality of communication buses 202A-D. Figure 2 Also shown is an external port 210 coupled to the gateway module 208 , which is configured to receive an off-board diagnostic tester.

[0030] Each ECU, IVD tester and / or gateway module may include a microcontroller unit, a controller or processor and a memory. The processor may be any suitable processing device or a collection of processing devices, such as but not limited to a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory may be a volatile memory (e.g., RAM, including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), a non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile solid-state memory based on memristors, etc.), an unmodifiable memory (e.g., EPROM), a read-only memory and / or a high-capacity storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, etc.). In some examples, the memory includes a variety of memories, specifically, volatile memories and non-volatile memories.

[0031] The memory may be a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions (such as software for operating the methods of the present disclosure) may be embedded. The instructions may be embodied as one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. For example, the instructions may reside completely or at least partially in any one or more of the memory, the computer-readable medium, and / or in the processor during execution of the instructions.

[0032] The terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database and / or associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. In addition, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include any tangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or executing a set of instructions for execution by a processor or causing a system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk and excludes propagating signals.

[0033] Figure 2 An exemplary vehicle communication network is shown that can include multiple communication buses 202A-D. One or more buses can be high speed (e.g., 500 kbps or higher), medium speed (e.g., 125 kbps), or any other speed. Each bus can be configured to couple one or more ECUs and / or IVD testers, which may be related in some cases (e.g., a given bus can couple a driver seat module, a driver door module, and other driver-side related ECUs).

[0034] The gateway module 208 can be configured to coordinate requests for information and / or communications with one or more ECUs by queuing the requests based on time or arrival. In some examples, the gateway module 208 can prioritize requests based on the ID of the requesting IVD tester, based on the ECU from which the information is being requested, or based on some other characteristic.

[0035] In order to coordinate the IVD testers, the gateway module 208 can first be configured to receive a request to communicate with the ECU from a first IVD tester. The first IVD tester can be coupled to a first communication bus. For example, the first IVD tester can be an IVD tester 204A coupled to the communication bus 202A. The ECU that the IVD tester 204A requests communication with can be any ECU coupled to any communication bus. Therefore, the ECU can be coupled to the same communication bus as the first IVD tester 204A (i.e., communication bus 202A), or the ECU can be coupled to a different communication bus (i.e., communication bus 202B, 202C, or 202D). Although Figure 2 A specific number of communication buses, ECUs, and IVDs are shown, but other numbers may be used.

[0036] In response to receiving a request from a first IVD tester to communicate with an ECU, the gateway module can be configured to prevent communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU. This can include, for example, preventing the second IVD tester from communicating with the ECU, communicating with any other device of the communication network, or not communicating with it at all. Preventing the second IVD tester from communicating while the first IVD tester is communicating with the ECU can prevent errors from occurring due to simultaneous requests for information.

[0037] In some examples, the second IVD tester can be coupled to the same communication bus as the first IVD tester. Alternatively, the second IVD tester can be coupled to a different communication bus than the first IVD tester. In addition, the ECU can be coupled to the same or different communication bus as the communication bus to which the first IVD tester and / or the second IVD tester are coupled.

[0038] In some examples, the CAN protocol used by the vehicle communication network may generally not include the source address of the IVD tester. Therefore, it may be difficult or impossible for the ECU or gateway module to determine the source of the request for information (e.g., whether it is from an off-vehicle tester, an on-vehicle tester, and if so, which on-vehicle tester). With this issue in mind, the examples disclosed herein may include an IVD tester that includes a network management ID as part of a request to communicate with the ECU. The network management ID may be included as part of a network management message that is periodically sent to allow network wake-up and / or sleep. The gateway module may then determine the source of the request based on the ID received from the first IVD tester. The gateway module 208 may further determine the specific communication bus to which the first IVD tester is coupled.

[0039] The gateway module may then respond to the first IVD tester indicating that access to the ECU has been granted. The response may include the network management ID of the first IVD tester, the ID of the ECU, and / or another ID or other information indicating that access has been granted.

[0040] The first IVD tester may then transmit a second request, which may include a request for information from the ECU. The second request may be transmitted to the gateway module 208 .

[0041] The gateway module 208 may receive the second request and may responsively distribute it to one or more communication buses. In this way, an IVD tester coupled to a first communication bus may be able to communicate with an ECU located on any communication bus of the network via the gateway module 208. In some examples, the gateway module may broadcast the second request to all communication buses. Alternatively, the gateway module may transmit the second request to a subset of the communication buses, wherein the subset is determined based on the communication bus of the first IVD tester, the ECU from which the information is requested, or based on another factor.

[0042] The ECU may then receive a request for information from the first IVD tester and responsively transmit the requested information back to the gateway module. The gateway module may then relay the information to the first IVD tester via a communication bus coupled thereto.

[0043] In some examples, the vehicle communication network may also include a port 210 configured to receive an off-board diagnostic tester. The port may be coupled to a communication network. The off-board diagnostic tester may be inserted into the port 210 and may be a diagnostic tool, an insurance company plug-in, or another type of plug-in or tool used by a manufacturer or a maintenance technician. The gateway module 208 may be configured to detect the presence of an off-board diagnostic tester coupled to the port 210 and determine that the inserted tester should take precedence over the IVD tester or take a higher priority than it. Therefore, the gateway module 208 may responsively block communication with the first IVD tester and one or more other IVD testers. This may ensure compliance with any regulations or rules that do not require interference with service tools.

[0044] Figure 3 A flow chart of an exemplary method 300 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 may enable a vehicle having multiple IVD testers to coordinate and process information requests from one or more ECUs on multiple communication buses. Figure 3 The flowcharts of represent machine readable instructions that are stored in a memory and may include one or more programs that, when executed by a processor, may cause the vehicle 100 and / or one or more systems or devices to perform one or more functions described herein. Figure 3 The flowchart shown describes an exemplary procedure, but many other methods for performing the functions described herein may be used instead. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be rearranged or executed in series or in parallel with each other, and the blocks may be changed, eliminated, and / or combined to perform the method 300. In addition, because the method 300 is combined with Figure 1 to Figure 2 The components are disclosed, so some functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0045] The method 300 may start at block 302. At block 304, the method 300 may include receiving a request from a first IVD tester to communicate with an ECU. The request may be received by a gateway module.

[0046] At block 306, the method 300 may include determining whether the received request is from an off-board diagnostic tester plugged into the external port. If the request is indeed from an off-board diagnostic tester, the method 300 may include the gateway module blocking communication with one or more IVD testers on the communication network. This may prevent interference from the IVD tester when the off-board diagnostic tester is active.

[0047] At box 310, the method 300 may include determining a network ID of a first IVD tester from which the request is received. The network ID may be a network management ID included as part of the request. At box 312, the method 300 may include determining a first communication bus to which the first IVD tester is coupled. Then at box 314, the method 300 may include the gateway module authorizing access to the first IVD tester, which may include transmitting a message on the first communication bus including the network ID of the first IVD tester, an ID of the ECU corresponding to the request, or some other information.

[0048] At block 316, method 300 may include blocking the second IVD tester from communicating. This may include denying any requests from the second IVD tester, or otherwise blocking the second IVD tester from transmitting requests. In some examples, the network architecture may be such that all IVD testers are blocked from transmitting requests for information from the ECU by default, such that a request for information can be sent from the IVD tester to the ECU only after the gateway module is authorized to access.

[0049] At box 318, method 3200 may include receiving a second request for information from the ECU from the first IVD tester. The first request may be a request for access to the ECU, and the second request may include a specific request for information from the ECU. At box 320, method 300 may include distributing the second request to one or more communication buses. The gateway module may distribute the second request to all communication buses or a subset of the communication buses based on the content of the request, the first IVD tester, the ECU from which the information is requested, or some other factor. In this way, although the request may come from a first IVD tester coupled to a first communication bus, the gateway module may provide access to ECUs coupled to a communication bus including the first communication bus and all other communication buses.

[0050] At box 322, method 300 may include receiving information from the ECU by the gateway module. The ECU may provide the requested information to the gateway module, which may then pass or relay the information to the first IVD tester via the first communication bus at box 324. In this way, the gateway module may be configured to grant a given IVD tester access to the ECU on all communication buses and be able to route information back to the communication bus coupled to the IVD tester. Method 300 may then end at box 326. In some examples, method 300 may then return to box 304 to receive a second request to communicate with the ECU. Thus, method 300 may repeat one or more steps where there is a queue of requests for information from the IVD tester.

[0051] In the present application, the use of transitional conjunctions is intended to include connection meanings. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. Specifically, reference to "said" object or "one" and "a kind of" object is intended to also represent one of possible multiple such objects. In addition, the conjunction "or" can be used to convey simultaneous features rather than mutually exclusive alternatives. In other words, the conjunction "or" should be understood to include "and / or". The terms "includes", "including" and "include" are inclusive, and have the same scope as "comprises", "comprising" and "comprise", respectively.

[0052] The above-described embodiments and in particular any "preferred" embodiments are possible examples of implementations and are merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present invention. Many changes and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles described herein. All modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and are protected by the appended claims.

[0053] According to the present invention, a vehicle is provided, which has: a communication bus; an electronic control unit (ECU), which is coupled to one of the communication buses; and a gateway module, which is configured to: receive a request to communicate with a first on-board diagnostic (IVD) tester from the ECU; and responsively block communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the gateway module is further configured to be communicatively coupled to the communication bus, and wherein the communication bus is configured to operate using a CAN bus protocol.

[0055] According to an embodiment, the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and wherein the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the second IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the request includes a network ID of the first IVD tester, and wherein the gateway module is further configured to transmit a response to the first IVD tester indicating authorization to access the ECU.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, the request is a first request, and the gateway module is further configured to: receive a second request for information from the ECU from the first IVD tester; and in response to receiving the second request, distribute the second request to the communication bus.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the gateway module is further configured to: receive information from the ECU; and responsively transmit the information to the first communication bus.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the above invention is further characterized by a port configured to receive an off-board diagnostic tester, the port being coupled to the first communication bus.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the gateway module is further configured to: detect the presence of the off-board diagnostic tester coupled to the port; and responsively prevent communication with the first IVD tester and the second IVD tester.

[0062] According to the present invention, a method includes: receiving a request for communication between a first on-board diagnostic (IVD) tester and an electronic control unit (ECU) through a gateway module of a vehicle communication network, wherein the vehicle communication network includes multiple communication buses; and responsively blocking communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the above invention is further characterized by communicatively coupling the communication bus via the gateway module, wherein the communication bus is configured to operate using a CAN bus protocol.

[0064] According to an embodiment, the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and wherein the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the second IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the request includes a network ID of the first IVD tester, and the method further includes: transmitting, by the gateway module, a response to the first IVD tester indicating authorization to access the ECU.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, the request is a first request, and the method further includes: receiving a second request for information from the ECU from the first IVD tester through the gateway module; and in response to receiving the second request, distributing the second request to the communication bus.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the above invention is further characterized by receiving information from the ECU through the gateway module; and responsively transmitting the information to the first communication bus.

[0069] According to one embodiment, a port configured to receive an off-board diagnostic tester is coupled to the first communication bus.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the above invention is further characterized by detecting, by the gateway module, the presence of the off-board diagnostic tester coupled to the port; and responsively preventing communication with the first IVD tester and the second IVD tester.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: Communication bus; An electronic control unit ECU, the electronic control unit being coupled to one of the communication buses; as well as A gateway module, the gateway module is coupled to all communication buses, the gateway module is configured to: receiving a request from a first on-board diagnostic IVD tester to communicate with the ECU; and responsively preventing communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU; Wherein the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, the request is a first request, and the gateway module is further configured to: receiving, from the first IVD tester, a second request for information from the ECU; and In response to receiving the second request, the second request is distributed to all of the communication buses. 2 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gateway module is further configured to be communicatively coupled to the communication bus, and wherein the communication bus is configured to operate using a CAN bus protocol. 3 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and wherein the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus. 4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the second IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus. 5 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the request includes a network ID of the first IVD tester, and wherein the gateway module is further configured to transmit a response to the first IVD tester indicating authorization to access the ECU.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a port configured to receive an off-board diagnostic tester, the port coupled to the first communication bus, wherein the gateway module is further configured to: detecting the presence of the off-board diagnostic tester coupled to the port; and Communications with the first IVD tester and the second IVD tester are responsively blocked.

7. A method for vehicle diagnostic tester coordination, comprising: receiving, by a gateway module of a vehicle communication network, a request for communication between a first on-board diagnostic IVD tester and an electronic control unit ECU, wherein the vehicle communication network comprises a plurality of communication buses, and wherein the gateway module is coupled to the plurality of communication buses; responsively preventing communication with a second IVD tester while facilitating communication between the first IVD tester and the ECU; Wherein the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, the request is a first request, and the method further comprises: receiving, by the gateway module, from the first IVD tester a second request for information from the ECU; In response to receiving the second request, the second request is distributed to the communication bus. 8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising communicatively coupling the communication bus via the gateway module, wherein the communication bus is configured to operate using a CAN bus protocol.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and wherein the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the second IVD tester is coupled to a first communication bus, and the ECU is coupled to a second communication bus.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the request includes a network ID of the first IVD tester, the method further comprising: A response indicating authorization to access the ECU is transmitted to the first IVD tester through the gateway module.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein a port configured to receive an off-board diagnostic tester is coupled to the first communication bus, the method further comprising: detecting, by the gateway module, the presence of the off-board diagnostic tester coupled to the port; as well as Communications with the first IVD tester and the second IVD tester are responsively blocked.

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