Method for transmitting data elements between first and second controllers of a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a system for transmitting a data element between a first and a second controller of a vehicle that are coupled to each other via at least two communication channels, and to a vehicle, comprising: determining, by the first controller, a communication channel indicator for the first and the second communication channel, which represents a transmission resource available for use of the first and the second communication channel; receiving, by the first controller, the data element from a data source; determining a priority of the data element depending on a vehicle application associated with the data element; if the respective communication channel indicators indicate that the transmission resource available for use of the first and the second communication channel is not sufficient for transmitting the data element and the priority of the data element is below a predetermined priority threshold: storing the data element in a buffer of the first controller for a predetermined time interval; otherwise allocating one or more communication channels depending on the vehicle application associated with the data element; and transmitting the data element from the first controller to the second controller via the allocated communication channel(s).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle. The invention also relates to a computer-readable medium for transmitting data elements between the first and second controllers of a vehicle, a system for transmitting data elements between the first and second controllers of a vehicle, and a vehicle including the system for transmitting data elements between the first and second controllers of the vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Current vehicles are equipped with numerous controllers used to control and regulate various vehicle functions. Different bus technologies, based on cable connections, are known from the prior art for interconnecting these numerous controllers. When high data transfer rates, such as those in the range of 1 Gbit / s or more, are required between two or more controllers, cable-based interconnection of these controllers can lead to additional costs and / or additional installation space requirements, as the cables used for this purpose typically require additional shielding, resulting in additional installation space requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the objective of this invention is to effectively improve communication between at least two controllers in a vehicle. In particular, the objective of this invention is to efficiently exchange data elements between at least two controllers.

[0004] The task is solved by a method for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle, wherein the first and second controllers are coupled to each other via at least two communication channels, the method comprising:

[0005] The communication channel index of the first communication channel among the at least two communication channels is determined by the first controller. The communication channel index of the first communication channel represents the transmission resources available for use of the first communication channel.

[0006] Data elements are received from the data source via the first controller;

[0007] The priority of data elements is determined based on the vehicle application associated with them;

[0008] The communication channel index of the second communication channel out of the at least two communication channels is determined by the first controller. The communication channel index of the second communication channel represents the available transmission resources of the second communication channel.

[0009] If the communication channel indicators of the first and second communication channels indicate that the available transmission resources of the first and second communication channels are insufficient for transmitting data elements, and the priority of the data elements is lower than a predetermined priority threshold:

[0010] - The data elements will be stored in the cache of the first controller at predetermined time intervals;

[0011] If the communication channel index of the first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are sufficient for transmitting data elements, and / or the priority of the data elements exceeds a predetermined priority threshold:

[0012] - Then, based on the vehicle application associated with the data element, one or more of the at least two communication channels of the first controller are allocated; and

[0013] - Transmit data elements from the first controller to the second controller via one or more assigned communication channels.

[0014] According to a first aspect, the present invention is characterized by a method for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle. The method may be computer-implemented and / or controller-implemented. The vehicle may be a motor vehicle or a motorcycle. The vehicle may, in particular, be a partially automated, highly automated, or fully automated motor vehicle. The first controller and the second controller are coupled to each other via at least two communication channels.

[0015] The method includes determining a communication channel index of a first communication channel among the at least two communication channels via a first controller. The communication channel index represents the available transmission resources of the first communication channel. Alternatively or additionally, the communication channel index may represent the quality of the available transmission resources of the first communication channel. Alternatively or additionally, the communication channel index may represent the available transmission resources of the at least two communication channels between a first controller and a second controller. The method also includes receiving data elements from a data source via the first controller. The data source may be another controller of the vehicle, a mobile terminal device coupled to the vehicle, and / or a server external to the vehicle.

[0016] The method includes determining the priority of a data element based on the vehicle application associated with the data element. If a communication channel indicator of a first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are insufficient for transmitting the data element, and the priority of the data element is lower than a predetermined priority threshold, the method stores the data element in a buffer of a first controller for a predetermined time interval. If a communication channel indicator of the first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are sufficient for transmitting the data element, and / or the priority of the data element exceeds a predetermined priority threshold, the method includes: allocating one or more of the at least two communication channels of the first controller based on the vehicle application associated with the data element, and transmitting the data element from the first controller to a second controller via one or more of the allocated communication channels.

[0017] Advantageously, data elements can be transmitted via one or more communication channels based on priority and available transmission resources. This increases the flexibility of transmitting data elements between the first and second controllers. Furthermore, by allocating the at least two communication channels for data element transmission, communication between the two controllers and / or the robustness of data element transmission can be effectively improved. Therefore, the efficiency of communication between the at least two controllers can be effectively increased.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment, the communication channel index can be an estimated communication channel index representing an estimated amount of available transmission resources for the first communication channel. For example, the communication channel index can be estimated based on pilot signals and / or data signals of the transmission technology of the communication channel using known methods. This allows for efficient determination of the quality and / or efficiency of the communication channel.

[0019] According to another advantageous embodiment, the first communication channel of the at least two communication channels may be a wired communication channel, and the second communication channel of the at least two communication channels may be a wireless communication channel; or the first communication channel of the at least two communication channels may be a wireless communication channel, and the second communication channel of the at least two communication channels may be a wireless communication channel. The method can effectively combine a wireless communication channel with another wireless communication channel or a wired communication channel to transmit data elements between the two controllers.

[0020] According to another advantageous embodiment, the first controller may be a first telematics controller, and / or the second controller may be a second telematics controller. The first and / or second telematics controllers can connect the vehicle to a mobile radio network. For this purpose, the first and / or second telematics controllers may have a chip card for mobile radio access, an embedded Subscriber Identity Module, or eSIM for short. Furthermore, the wireless communication channel may be a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication channel, and / or the wired communication channel may be an Ethernet communication channel. This effectively improves communication between the two telematics controllers in the vehicle.

[0021] According to another advantageous embodiment, the method may further include determining a communication channel index of a second communication channel among the at least two communication channels via a first controller. The communication channel index of the second communication channel is preferably an estimated communication channel index, representing a preferably estimated available transmission resource for the second communication channel. If the communication channel index of the first communication channel and the communication channel index of the second communication channel indicate that the preferably estimated available transmission resources of the first and second communication channels are insufficient for transmitting data elements and that the priority of the data elements is below a predetermined priority threshold, the method may store the data elements in a buffer of the first controller for a predetermined time interval. Thus, if the estimated transmission resources of the at least two communication channels are insufficient for transmitting data elements and / or higher-priority data elements are waiting to be transmitted and the estimated transmission resources are insufficient for transmitting both lower-priority and higher-priority data elements, it is preferable to buffer the lower-priority data elements first. This effectively prevents overload of the estimated transmission resources of the at least two communication channels.

[0022] According to another advantageous embodiment, the method may further include: if a communication channel indicator of the first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are insufficient for transmitting data elements and the priority of the data elements exceeds a predetermined priority threshold, then allocating at least two of the at least two communication channels of the first controller according to the vehicle application associated with the data elements, and transmitting the data elements from the first controller to the second controller through the allocated at least two communication channels. Thus, data elements can be efficiently transmitted through at least two communication channels. Data element transmission between the first controller and the second controller can be performed more quickly.

[0023] According to another advantageous embodiment, allocating the one or more communication channels of the first controller based on the vehicle application associated with the data element includes: receiving a communication profile associated with the vehicle application, and allocating the one or more communication channels of the at least two communication channels according to the communication profile of the vehicle application. This allows for more efficient allocation of communication channels between the first and second controllers.

[0024] According to another advantageous embodiment, the vehicle application's communication profile specifies one or more communication channel-specific parameters, and one or more of the at least two communication channels of the first controller must at least satisfy the communication channel-specific parameters in order to transmit data elements of the vehicle application. This allows for efficient allocation of the at least two communication channels.

[0025] According to another aspect, the present invention is characterized by a computer-readable medium for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed on a controller or computer, implement the method described above.

[0026] According to another aspect, the present invention is characterized by a system for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle, wherein the system is configured to implement the above-described method.

[0027] According to another aspect, the present invention is characterized by a vehicle comprising the aforementioned system for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of the vehicle.

[0028] Other features of the invention are derived from the accompanying drawings and description. All features and combinations thereof mentioned above in the specification, as well as those mentioned below in the description of the drawings and / or shown separately in the drawings, may be used not only in the combinations given separately, but also in other combinations or individually. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further details, preferred embodiments, and further improvements of the invention will then be revealed. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 An exemplary method is shown for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle; and

[0031] Figure 2 An exemplary system is shown for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Figure 1 A method 100 for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle is illustrated in detail. The first and second controllers are coupled to each other via at least two communication channels. Each communication channel preferably uses a different transmission technology. The communication channels can be wireless or wired. Wireless communication channels can use wireless local area networks (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) as the transmission technology. Wired communication channels can use wired local area networks (e.g., Ethernet or a vehicle-specific bus system) as the transmission technology.

[0033] Method 100 may determine a communication channel index of a first communication channel among the at least two communication channels via a first controller. The communication channel index preferably represents the available transmission resources of the first communication channel. The method may determine the communication channel index for each wireless communication channel. For example, known methods for channel estimation may be used to determine the communication channel index by means of pilot signals and / or data signals of the corresponding wireless transmission technology. Preferably, the communication channel index represents the quality of the available transmission resources of the communication channel.

[0034] Method 100 can receive data elements from a data source via a first controller. For example, data elements can be received from a data source via a mobile radio connection of the first controller.

[0035] To enable efficient data exchange between the first and second controllers, method 100 can determine the priority of the data elements and allocate one or more communication channels through which the data elements are ultimately transmitted. First, method 100 can determine the priority of the data elements based on the vehicle applications associated with them. To this end, the method can categorize data elements into predetermined quality of service (QoS) levels based on their time urgency and / or importance to other vehicle applications. Each QoS level is associated with a priority that determines the data element's priority. For example, the highest priority can also be associated with the highest QoS level.

[0036] If the communication channel indicator of the first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are insufficient for transmitting data elements and the priority of the data element is lower than a predetermined priority threshold, then method 100 may store the data element in the buffer of the first controller for a predetermined time interval. If the communication channel indicator of the first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are sufficient for transmitting data elements and / or the priority of the data element exceeds a predetermined priority threshold, then method 100 may allocate one or more of the at least two communication channels of the first controller according to the vehicle application associated with the data element, and transmit the data element from the first controller to the second controller through one or more of the allocated communication channels.

[0037] Figure 2 An exemplary system 200 is shown for transmitting data elements between a first controller 202 and a second controller 204 of a vehicle. The first controller 202 and the second controller 204 may be telematics controllers. The first controller 202 and the second controller 204 may each include a SIM card and a Network Access Device (NAD), respectively. Figure 2 (Not shown in the image). For example, the first controller 202 can provide a mobile radio connection 206 for user-specific applications, and the second controller 204 can provide a mobile radio connection 206 for vehicle-specific applications. The mobile radio connection 206 of the respective controllers can connect the data sources 208, 210 to the vehicle. The vehicle can receive one or more data elements from the data sources 208, 210 through the respective mobile radio connections 206 of the controllers 202, 204.

[0038] The first controller 202 and the second controller 204 may include a wireless communication interface 212. A first communication channel 214 can be established between the first controller 202 and the second controller via the wireless communication interface 212. The first communication channel 214 is a wireless communication channel. The first controller 202 and the second controller 204 are coupled through the first communication channel 214. Furthermore, the first controller 202 and the second controller 204 may include a wired communication interface 216. A second communication channel 218 can be established between the first controller 202 and the second controller 204 via the wired communication interface 216. The second communication channel 218 is a wired communication channel. The first controller 202 and the second controller 204 are coupled through the second communication channel 218.

[0039] The first controller 202 and / or the second controller may have a channel estimation unit 220. The channel estimation unit 220 may determine estimated communication channel metrics for the wireless communication interface 212 of the respective controllers 202, 204 and / or for the wireless communication channel 214 between the first controller 202 and the second controller 204. The estimated communication channel metrics may represent the available transmission resources of the wireless communication channel 214. The channel estimation unit may provide the communication channel metrics to the prioritization unit 222 and the allocation unit 224.

[0040] The priority component 222 of the first controller 202 or the second controller 204 can determine the priority of data elements received from the corresponding data sources 208, 210. The priority of a data element can be determined based on the vehicle application and / or quality of service level of the data element.

[0041] If the communication channel indicator indicates that the available transmission resources of the wireless communication channel 214 between the first controller 202 and the second controller 204 are insufficient for transmitting data elements and the priority of the data element is lower than a predetermined priority threshold, the priority unit can store the data element in the buffer 226 for a predetermined time interval. After the time interval has elapsed, the priority unit 222 can check again whether the current communication channel indicator indicates sufficient resources for transmitting the data element.

[0042] The allocation unit 224 can allocate one or more communication channels 214, 218 for transmitting data elements. Communication channels 214, 218 can have communication profiles. For example, availability and / or reliability can be specified for each channel in the communication profile. Furthermore, vehicle applications can be associated with the quality of service (QoS) level of the data elements. The vehicle application and / or QoS level can determine the requirements for the communication channels. By matching the communication profiles with the QoS level requirements for the communication channels, the allocation unit can allocate one or more communication channels for transmitting data elements. For example, data elements with the highest QoS level can be transmitted through one or more communication channels with the highest availability and reliability.

[0043] When transmitting data elements that have high bandwidth requirements for the communication channel, the wireless communication channel 214 can be used to extend the transmission resources of the wired communication channel 218. For example, the wireless communication channel can transmit a portion or the entire data element. One or more data elements can be allocated to the wireless communication channel 214 and / or the wired communication channel 218 according to the vehicle application associated with the data element. A communication profile can be associated with the vehicle application. The communication profile can specify the minimum requirements for the communication channel. For example, the communication profile for the vehicle application can specify bandwidth, latency, real-time requirements, security requirements, and / or error rate. These are matched with the communication profile of the communication channel and taken into account when allocating one or more communication channels. For example, the communication profile for the vehicle application can determine that security-related data elements are transmitted only through the wired communication channel, while multimedia data elements should preferably be transmitted through the wireless communication channel.

[0044] Advantageously, data exchange between the first controller 202 and the second controller 204 can be efficiently performed through different data transmission paths. Communication between the first controller 202 and the second controller of the vehicle can be effectively improved while maintaining application-specific transmission reliability. Application-specific transmission reliability can be determined, for example, in the communication profile of the vehicle application. For example, the robustness requirements for the communication channels that must be used to transmit data elements can be derived from the application-specific transmission reliability. Thus, by using a wireless communication channel to transmit data elements, other wired communication channels and the cabling required for this can be effectively avoided. The advantages of wired communication channels can be effectively combined with the advantages of wireless communication channels to efficiently transmit vehicle application data elements between the first controller 202 and the second controller 204.

[0045] List of reference numerals

[0046] 100 methods

[0047] 102 Determine communication channel indicators

[0048] 104 Receive Data Element

[0049] 106 Determine Priority

[0050] 108. Store data elements in a cache.

[0051] 110 allocates one or more communication channels

[0052] 112 Transmit Data Elements

[0053] 200 system

[0054] 202 First Controller

[0055] 204 Second Controller

[0056] 206 Mobile Radio Connection

[0057] 208 data source

[0058] 210 data source

[0059] 212 Wireless Communication Interface

[0060] 214 First Communication Channel

[0061] 216 wired communication interface

[0062] 218 Second Communication Channel

[0063] 220 Channel Estimation Component

[0064] 222 priority components

[0065] 224 distribution components

[0066] 226 caches

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle, wherein, The first controller and the second controller are coupled to each other through at least two communication channels, the method comprising: The communication channel index of the first communication channel among the at least two communication channels is determined by the first controller. The communication channel index of the first communication channel represents the transmission resources available for use of the first communication channel. Data elements are received from the data source via the first controller; The priority of data elements is determined based on the vehicle application associated with them; The communication channel index of the second communication channel out of the at least two communication channels is determined by the first controller. The communication channel index of the second communication channel represents the available transmission resources of the second communication channel. If the communication channel indicators of the first and second communication channels indicate that the available transmission resources of the first and second communication channels are insufficient for transmitting data elements, and the priority of the data elements is lower than a predetermined priority threshold: - The data elements will be stored in the cache of the first controller at predetermined time intervals; If the communication channel index of the first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are sufficient for transmitting data elements, and / or the priority of the data elements exceeds a predetermined priority threshold: - Then, based on the vehicle application associated with the data element, one or more of the at least two communication channels of the first controller are allocated; and - Transmit data elements from the first controller to the second controller via one or more assigned communication channels.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The communication channel index of the first communication channel is an estimated communication channel index, which represents the estimated available transmission resources of the first communication channel.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first communication channel of the at least two communication channels is a wired communication channel, and the second communication channel of the at least two communication channels is a wireless communication channel; or The first communication channel of the at least two communication channels is a wireless communication channel, and the second communication channel of the at least two communication channels is a wireless communication channel.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first controller is a first telematics controller; and / or The second controller is a second remote information processing controller.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The first controller is a first telematics controller; and / or The second controller is a second telematics controller; and / or The wireless communication channel is a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication channel; and / or The wired communication channel is an Ethernet communication channel.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The communication channel index of the second communication channel is an estimated communication channel index, which represents the estimated available transmission resources of the second communication channel.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: If the communication channel indicator of the first communication channel indicates that the available transmission resources of the first communication channel are insufficient for transmitting data elements, and the priority of the data elements exceeds a predetermined priority threshold: - Then, based on the vehicle application associated with the data element, at least two of the at least two communication channels of the first controller are allocated; and - Transmit data elements from the first controller to the second controller through the at least two allocated communication channels.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Allocating one or more communication channels of the first controller according to the vehicle application associated with the data element includes: Receive a communication configuration file associated with a vehicle application; The communication channels are allocated according to the communication profile of the vehicle application, including one or more of the at least two communication channels.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The communication configuration file of the vehicle application specifies one or more communication channel-specific parameters, and the one or more communication channels of the first controller must at least satisfy the communication channel-specific parameters in order to transmit data elements of the vehicle application.

10. A computer-readable medium for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle, wherein, The computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed on a controller or computer, implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A system for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of a vehicle, wherein, The system is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the system includes a first controller and a second controller, the first controller and the second controller each having: A channel estimation component (220) is used to determine the communication channel indices of the at least two communication channels; Priority component (222) is used to determine the priority of data elements received from the corresponding data source; Allocation component (224) for allocating one or more communication channels for transmitting data elements; and Buffer (226).

12. A vehicle comprising a system according to claim 11 for transmitting data elements between a first controller and a second controller of the vehicle.

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