Method and system for illustrating measurement units in signaling

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a system for describing measurement units in signaling. A method at a computing device, the method comprising sending a request for information to a second entity; and receiving a response to provide the information, the response further specifying a unit in which the information is provided. The measurement unit may be appended as a separate branch for the signal, for the name of the signal, using a separator for the signal, or a combination thereof.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to computing systems, such as vehicle systems, and in particular to signaling within such computing systems. Background Art

[0002] Modern vehicles have many components and sensors. Such components and sensors can be referred to as data objects and queried to provide insights into the vehicle and the operation of the vehicle.

[0003] Different signals around a device (such as a vehicle) may indicate values ​​that may, but need not, change over time. Such signals may be categorized and identified using a hierarchical format.

[0004] One example of a hierarchical format is provided by the Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance (COVESA), which defines a set of signals for vehicles called the Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS), where such signals are defined in a specific format. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The present disclosure will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the tree structure for VSS.

[0007] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a modified tree structure where branches are created and signals are used for specific units.

[0008] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a revised tree in which the signal names are modified to include units.

[0009] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing a revised tree in which units may be included after the signal name using a separator.

[0010] Figure 5 It is a data flow diagram for providing signal information with units.

[0011] Figure 6 is a data flow diagram for providing signal information with units using unit conversion at a responding device.

[0012] Figure 7 is a data flow diagram for providing signal information with units using unit conversion at a receiving device.

[0013] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example vehicle computing node.

[0014] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a simplified computing device that can be used with embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The present disclosure provides a method at a computing device, the method comprising: sending a request for data from a signal to a second entity; and receiving a response providing the data, the response further specifying a unit of measurement for the signal.

[0016] The present disclosure also provides a computing device, comprising: a processor; and a communication subsystem, wherein the computing device is configured to: send a request for data from a signal to a second entity; and receive a response providing the data, the response further specifying a measurement unit for the signal.

[0017] The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable medium for storing instruction codes, which, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to: send a request for data from a signal to a second entity; and receive a response providing the data, the response further specifying a unit of measurement for the signal.

[0018] In a device such as a vehicle, information from one or more physical sensors can be processed by an application that obtains information from the device. For example, an insurance company may have a device that is plugged into the on-board diagnostic (OBD) port to monitor the driving habits of an insured driver. An application on such a device can query the vehicle and obtain information from the vehicle. Other options are possible.

[0019] However, in order for a receiving entity of the signal to understand and / or process the signal, the entity may need to know the unit of measurement indicated by the value of the signal. For example, a signal indicating vehicle speed may provide a value indicating miles per hour (MPH or mph), kilometers per hour (km / h), wheel revolutions per second (RPS), etc.

[0020] COVESA VSS solves this problem by specifying specific measurement units that should be used for VSS signals. For example, the Vehicle.Speed ​​signal is defined to use kilometers per hour. A receiving entity that is consistent / compatible with VSS can then infer the measurement units in the received signal based on this specification.

[0021] However, COVESA specifies that implementors may make changes if they wish (through the use of "Overlays").

[0022] Furthermore, not all audiences using COVESA VSS prefer the same units of measurement. For example, some parts of the world may prefer miles per hour over kilometers per hour as a unit of measurement for vehicle speed. This has led some vehicle manufacturers or vehicle component manufacturers to implement different units of measurement based on their preferences.

[0023] In the absence of an explicit auxiliary query, different measurement units are typically not communicated to the receiving entity. Therefore, different measurement units may cause misinterpretation of the received value (e.g., a receiving entity may always process speed values ​​in kilometers per hour instead of miles per hour because kilometers per hour is the unit specified according to the COVESA VSS).

[0024] While this is acceptable for applications written by vehicle manufacturers, as they are known, for third party applications this may create uncertainty or may require application designers to modify applications for different original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or for different regions in order to make the application portable.

[0025] Furthermore, the COVESA VSS solution only enables a single unit of measurement to be communicated, leaving any conversion to the receiving entity.

[0026] VSS defines itself as a way to create a common understanding of vehicle signals in order to arrive at a common language independent of the protocol or serialization used.

[0027] The VSS naming convention is, for example, described in Table 1 below.

[0028]

[0029] Table 1: Example VSS naming convention

[0030] As can be seen from Table 1 above, name paths are notated using dots in VSS. Such dot notation can further identify components as branch nodes (data entry sets) and data entry nodes / leaves / signals (sensors, actuators, or attributes).

[0031] By using dot-notated node path names, a tree structure can be established for various data objects within the vehicle.

[0032] However, various parts of the VSS catalog are currently rigid and only define one unit of measurement. For example, vehicle speed is defined as km / h. This is shown in the example VSS in Table 2 below:

[0033] Signal type Data Types unit vehicle Branches Vehicle.Speed sensor floating point km / h Vehicle.Driving distance sensor floating point km Vehicle.Powertrain Branches Vehicle.Powertrain.Internal combustion engine Branches Vehicle.Powertrain.Internal combustion engine.Displacement property uint16 cm^3 Vehicle.Powertrain.Electric Motor Branches Vehicle.Powertrain.Electric motor.Maximum power property uint16 kW Vehicle.Powertrain.Electric Motor.Speed sensor int32 rpm Vehicle.Powertrain.Electric Motor.Power sensor int32 kW Vehicle.Powertrain.Electric Motor.Torque sensor int32 Nm Vehicle.Powertrain.Traction battery Branches Vehicle.Powertrain.Traction Battery.Temperature Branches Vehicle.Powertrain.Traction Battery.Temperature.Average sensor floating point Celsius Vehicle.Powertrain.Traction Battery.Temperature.Minimum sensor floating point Celsius Vehicle.Powertrain.Traction Battery.Temperature.Maximum sensor floating point Celsius

[0034] Table 2: Example VSS

[0035] Table 2 provides a small subset of the VSS catalog. In Table 2, a sensor is a unidirectional signal originating from the vehicle. An actuator is a bidirectional signal and can either set a value or get a value. A branch is a node in the tree structure. An attribute is usually a fixed value, but can also be a unidirectional signal originating from the vehicle with the expectation that the value will not change frequently or will only be set once per ignition cycle.

[0036] For example, now refer to Figure 1 , which shows an example tree structure for a portion of Table 2 above.

[0037] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the object tree 100 is rooted at the vehicle 110. Below the root, an example in the tree may be a powertrain 120, which may be a branch.

[0038] Further examples include speed 122 and distance traveled 124 , both of which are sensors.

[0039] The powertrain 120 may have a battery, shown as a traction battery 130 . The powertrain 120 may also have an internal combustion engine 132 and / or an electric motor 134 .

[0040] exist Figure 1 In the example of , traction battery 130 includes a temperature branch 140. Battery temperature can have various sensors, properties, actuators, and branches. Sensors can include average temperature 150, minimum temperature 152, and maximum temperature 154. For simplicity, other sensors and actuators from the VSS catalog are not shown.

[0041] Similarly, the motor 134 may have various sensors, attributes, actuators, and branches associated therewith. Figure 1 In the simplified example of FIG. , a motor speed 144 sensor, a power 146 sensor, and a torque 148 sensor are shown.

[0042] As shown in Table 2, each of the sensors and each of the attributes provides data in specified units. However, as further provided above, not all manufacturers use the specified VSS units and may choose to use different units.

[0043] Therefore, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, to allow different, possibly multiple, units of measurement to be communicated in a signal indicating a value from a sensor, a VSS may be defined to extend the identification of the signal to include an indication or identification of the unit of measurement associated with the value of the signal.

[0044] This can be done in a variety of ways. In one case, the unit can be attached as a separate entity / node under the branch. In one case, the naming convention of the signal can be revised to include the unit. In one case, the signal can use a separator and a unit selected from an enumerated list. Each case is described below.

[0045] Create a branch and attach a unit

[0046] In one embodiment, the sending entity may append an identifier of the measurement unit. For example, vehicle speed may have speed units appended to the end of the signal for vehicle speed (e.g., vehicle.speed.MPH, vehicle.speed.KMH). Other units may be appended similarly.

[0047] For example, referring to Table 3, Table 3 is the VSS of Table 2, but with units appended.

[0048]

[0049]

[0050]

[0051] Table 3: Example VSS with additional units

[0052] Thus, as provided in Table 3, previous sensors or attributes may be converted or interpreted as branches, and the sensors or attributes or actuators now have units associated with them. For example, Vehicle.Speed ​​is now a branch, and Vehicle.Speed.MPH or Vehicle.Speed.KMH indicates the unit in which the measurement will be provided. Similar changes are shown in Table 3, and include temperature, power, torque, etc. The present disclosure is not limited to any particular measurement units, and the principles of Table 3 may be extended to other measurement units.

[0053] In addition, the principles of Table 3 can be extended to include other aspects of the signal, such as the data type provided. For example, although the data type is specified in the third column of Table 3, such a data type may be able to be provided as an enumerated value. For example, Vehicle.Speed ​​and Vehicle.Speed.MPH are returned as floating points. However, if an application wants a specific data type, that data type may be specified in some cases. For example, an application may be satisfied with an integer for speed and therefore may request and receive the signal Vehicle.Speed.INT32 or Vehicle.Speed.MPH.INT32. In some cases, the integer may be signed or unsigned. In some cases, an application may want to return a string and the signal may be Vehicle.Speed.String or Vehicle.Speed.MPH.String. Other options may also extend the embodiments of Table 3.

[0054] Thus, the embodiment of Table 3 may be further enhanced or modified to include conveying other aspects related to the signal value, including type, such as branch, property, sensor, or actuator; data type, such as unsigned integer, signed integer, floating point number, string; or options such as minimum, maximum, or default value. This would involve adding the aspect after the dot in the name of the signal.

[0055] The extended part of Table 3 is for example in Figure 2 As shown in . Figure 2 The example shows that from Figure 1 However, in Figure 2 In the example of , speed 210 is now a branch. Similarly, power 212 and torque 214 are now branches.

[0056] Below the speed branch 210, a first sensor value in kilometers per hour is shown using box 220. A second sensor value is shown in MPH, as shown in box 222.

[0057] Under the power branch 212 , a first box 224 is shown as horsepower and a second box 226 is shown as kW.

[0058] Below the torque branch 214 , a first box 228 is shown as Newton meters and a second box 230 is shown as pound feet.

[0059] In addition, naming conventions for signals may be specified in a standard manner. For example, an indication / identification of a unit of measurement associated with a value of a signal may include a character in alphanumeric form, which may be included as a replacement for another character, e.g., "o" in place of " O ” is used for degree.

[0060] Therefore, based on Table 3 and Figure 2In some cases, a signal may use dot notation to specify units for the signal, and / or in some cases, other options may be specified such as a data type, type of signal, and so forth.

[0061] Create a new named signal

[0062] In another embodiment, the measurement unit may also be included in the name of the signal without changing the classification. For example, in one case, a new signal including the measurement unit may be defined, such as Vehicle.Speed ​​MPH or Vehicle.Speed ​​KMH. In another case, the tire pressure may be specified using the signal Vehicle.Wheel.Front.Right.Pressure Bar or Vehicle.Wheel.Front.Right.Pressure PSI. Other examples are possible.

[0063] For example, a portion of the VSS schema is shown in Table 4 below.

[0064]

[0065]

[0066] Table 4: Example of units in signal names VSS

[0067] Thus, a new signal is created as seen in Table 4, where the signal name includes the unit of measurement, instead of creating a new branch which then has an additional point with the unit of measurement as illustrated, for example, in Table 3.

[0068] This is Figure 3 In the section showing the VSS directory in tree format Figure 3 In the example, use Figure 1 The reference numerals in the figures are similar to the reference numerals in the figures.

[0069] However, in Figure 3 In the example, the motor 134 may have a new signal including speed in mph as shown at box 310, speed in km / h as shown at box 312, torque in pound-feet as shown at box 314, torque in Newton-meters as shown at box 316, power in horsepower as shown at box 318, and power in kW as shown at box 320.

[0070] and Figure 2 The same as the example, Figure 3The embodiments of may be further enhanced or modified to include conveying other aspects related to the signal value, including types such as branch, attribute, sensor, or actuator; data types such as unsigned integer, signed integer, floating point, string; or options such as minimum, maximum, or default values. This would involve changing the name of the signal to convey such information, where a certain signal such as vehicle speed could then be depicted as including such additional information. For example, vehicle.speed KMH and vehicle.speed MPH are returned as floating point. However, if an application wants a specific data type, that data type may be specified in some cases. For example, an application may be satisfied with an integer for speed and may therefore request and receive a signal vehicle.speed INT32 or vehicle.speed MPH INT32. In some cases, integers may be signed or unsigned. In some cases, an application may want to return a string and the signal may be vehicle.speed String or vehicle.speed MPH String. Other options may also extend the embodiments of Table 4.

[0071] Use separators to convey information

[0072] In yet another embodiment, the VSS catalog may be modified to allow other separator characters ("delimiters") appended by enumerated values ​​or fragments of information to form part of a signal. In the examples below, such a separator is represented as "#". However, this separator is not limiting, and other characters or groups of characters may be equally used as separators.

[0073] In this case, the signal can be enhanced by adding a separator and then adding a piece of information, such as the units for the data. Thus, the current signal Vehicle.Speed ​​can be modified to Vehicle.Speed#MPH to indicate that the speed units are miles per hour. In another case, the signal can be modified to Vehicle.Speed#KMH to indicate that the speed units are kilometers per hour.

[0074] The VSS catalog can then be modified to enumerate the units that are acceptable in some situations. For example, refer to Table 5.

[0075]

[0076]

[0077] Table 5: Example VSS with units in separators

[0078] The units for each signal are enumerated in the list shown between square brackets according to Table 5. In some cases, the first element of the list may be the default value used, and thus if no delimiter is specified in a signal request or signal response, the sending entity or receiving entity may assume that the unit for the signal is the first value in the enumerated list.

[0079] In other cases, the separator may be ".". For example, according to the embodiment of Table 3 and Figure 2 In an embodiment of the invention, a new branch is created and the units are placed under the branch as attributes or sensor values. In this embodiment, the units (or other data) rather than a new branch can be specified using dot notation (such as, vehicle.speed.MPH), where the receiving entity interprets the ".MPH" as a separator and unit combination. Thus, the units with suffixes are not interpreted as nodes but are instead recognized as units, leaving the node definition to the signal itself and the suffix being interpreted.

[0080] In one case, a server responding to a request from a receiving node for, for example, vehicle.speed.MPH can check whether the suffix corresponds to one of the supported units. In this case, the suffix is ​​mph, and because this is a supported unit, the server can recognize two entities: vehicle.speed and mph. The server will use the vehicle.speed definition to return the value for the signal. If vehicle.speed in this implementation is defined in mph, then no conversion is required and any value will be returned as is. If the vehicle.speed signal is defined in km / h, then the service can respond to a query for vehicle.speed.KMH by performing a conversion from mph to km / h, freeing the calling application from having to perform the conversion, as described below.

[0081] In other cases, a server may receive a request from a node for, for example, vehicle.speed #MPH, and respond with a signal with the speed in miles per hour or return an error.

[0082] Other options are possible.

[0083] This approach will further allow calling applications that use Vehicle.Speed ​​instead of Vehicle.Speed.KMH or Vehicle.Speed.MPH to receive values ​​using the units defined for Vehicle.Speed ​​and will therefore be backwards compatible.

[0084] Furthermore, in some cases, the enumerated list may not be exhaustive. Therefore, if the OEM / manufacturer wishes to use different units, in some embodiments, they may use different units and specify the units with a separator. The receiving entity would then be obligated to interpret the separator and determine if the separator can handle such units.

[0085] Table 5 shows the units with separators. In other cases, other values ​​may be enumerated and added to the signal with separators. Thus, in some cases, the data type may form part of an enumerated list and a specific data type may be added after the signal name to indicate the type of data being sent or received. Thus, for example, a signal such as vehicle.speed#int32 may indicate that the speed in the signal is a 32-bit signed integer. Figure 2 Examples and Figure 3 As with the embodiments, various information (such as units, data types, signal types, minimum values, maximum values, default values, or other information) may be provided using separators.

[0086] In some cases, more than one separator may be added to the signal name. So, for example, Vehicle.Speed ​​may have two separators after it (or more). In one example, a signal may be Vehicle.Speed#KMH#int32, indicating that the speed is in kilometers per hour and that the value is a 32-bit signed integer. Also, while this example shows two values ​​using the same separator, in some cases different separators may be used, one to indicate the units and a different one to indicate other data such as the data type. For example, this may be Vehicle.Speed#KMH$int32. Other examples are possible.

[0087] The separator is used together with the unit, for example in Figure 4 As shown in Figure 4 The diagram shows Figure 1 The tree is similar to the part of the tree. Figure 4 In the example, use Figure 1 Same reference numerals.

[0088] like Figure 4 As seen in , the internal combustion engine 132 may include a displacement signal 410 that includes an enumerated list of units including cubic centimeters and cubic inches.

[0089] The motor 134 includes a speed signal 420 that includes an enumerated list of units including mph, km / h, and revolutions per minute (RPM).

[0090] The power signal 422 includes an enumerated list of units including horsepower and kW.

[0091] Torque signal 424 includes an enumerated list of units including pound-feet and Newton-meters.

[0092] In addition, the temperature branch 140 includes an average temperature signal 430, which includes an enumerated list of temperature units in degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit. Similarly, the minimum temperature signal 432 has an enumerated list of units including degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the maximum temperature signal 434 includes an enumerated list of units, which includes degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit.

[0093] Therefore, based on the example of Table 5 and Figure 4 In an embodiment, the VSS catalog may be modified by adding an enumerated list of units (or other information) that may be specified as part of a signal using a delimiter. The use of a delimiter allows the signal to be backward compatible, as the absence of a unit with a delimiter may indicate that the signal is using the unit of the first element in the enumerated list.

[0094] usage

[0095] Various examples are provided below to indicate how to use data specifications (such as the type of unit for the data) in a signal call.

[0096] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure are provided with examples of vehicle computing devices, the present disclosure is not meant to be limited to vehicle computing systems. Other computing systems (such as vehicle refueling / charging equipment, Internet of Things (IoT) systems / devices, medical devices, etc.) can equally use the principles provided in the present disclosure.

[0097] In particular, according to Tables 3-5 and Figure 2-Figure 4 In an embodiment, the unit (or other data about a signal) can be provided as part of the signal name, or as a separate branch, by renaming the signal, or using data after a delimiter.

[0098] The requesting entity may then request the value of the signal in a particular unit of measurement. Additionally, if the entity determines that the second entity does not support a particular unit of measurement (e.g., determined by receipt of an error indication in response to a request, which may include an indication of one or more units of measurement), the requesting entity may attempt to request the value of the same signal in a different unit of measurement. In this case, the requesting entity, upon receiving the value of the signal, may also perform another action (e.g., convert from one unit of measurement to another unit of measurement).

[0099] The responsive receiving entity may then determine, potentially with much greater accuracy, the units of measurement used by the values ​​indicated in such a signal, and may then also be able to determine further processing / actions (eg, conversion from one unit of measurement to another).

[0100] Reference now Figure 5 .exist Figure 5 In an embodiment of the present invention, the first device 510 can communicate with the second device 512. For example, the first device 510 can be an application on a computing device that communicates with the second device 512, which can be a vehicle. For example, the first device 510 can be a computing device used for insurance purposes to monitor driving behavior. However, other options are possible.

[0101] Furthermore, in some cases, the first device 510 and the second device 512 may be virtual devices (eg, software or applications) running on the same computing device. Other options are possible.

[0102] exist Figure 5 In an embodiment of the present invention, the first device 510 can make a request 520 from the second device 512, wherein the request 520 requests a signal having a unit. In some cases, the request 520 can use Figure 2 and the format of Table 3. In some cases, request 520 may use Figure 3 and the format of Table 4. In some cases, request 520 may use Figure 4 and the format of Table 5. In some cases, a request may use a combination of the above embodiments. Other options are possible.

[0103] Upon receiving the request 520 , the second device 512 may determine that it can provide such a signal having units, and therefore provide a response 530 back to the first device 510 .

[0104] In this manner, the first device 510 can be confident about the units for the signal, thereby removing ambiguity in the communication between the first device 510 and the second device 512 .

[0105] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, instead of or in addition to making a request 520 with units, the request may include a data type, information type, or other data associated with a particular signal to remove ambiguity. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to requests for signals of a specified unit or the return of a message of a specified unit.

[0106] However, in some cases, the device receiving the request may not have data with the requested units. In this case, one option is to perform the conversion of units to the requested units for the second device. Figure 6 .

[0107] exist Figure 6 In the embodiment of the present invention, the first device 610 communicates with the second device 612. In some cases, the first device 610 and the second device 612 can communicate with each other from Figure 5 The first device 510 and the second device 512 of the embodiment are the same.

[0108] The first device 610 can send a request 620 to the second device 612, wherein the request 620 requests a signal having a specified unit. In some cases, the request 620 can use Figure 2 and the format of Table 3. In some cases, request 620 may use Figure 3 and the format of Table 4. In some cases, request 620 may use Figure 4 and the format of Table 5. In some cases, a request may use a combination of the above embodiments. Other options are possible.

[0109] As indicated, the second device 612 may not have a signal with the requested unit. The second device may perform a conversion of the unit to the requested unit, as shown at block 622.

[0110] Once the signal is in the requested units, the second device 612 can provide a response 630 to the first device 610 providing the signal in the requested units.

[0111] and Figure 5 The same as the example, Figure 6 Embodiments may provide other information, where such information is specified in the request. Specifically, instead of or in addition to requesting a signal with a unit, the request may include a data type, information type, or other data associated with a particular message to remove ambiguity. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to requests for signals of specified units or returns of signals of specified units.

[0112] In some other cases, the second device may not be able to provide a signal with the requested unit. In this case, the application on the first device may be robust enough to handle such a scenario. Figure 7 .

[0113] exist Figure 7 In the embodiment of the present invention, the first device 710 communicates with the second device 712. In some cases, the first device 710 and the second device 712 can communicate with each other from Figure 5 The first device 510 and the second device 512 of the embodiment are the same.

[0114] The first device 710 may send a request 720 to the second device 712, wherein the request 720 requests a signal having a specified unit. Figure 7 In the embodiment of FIG. 7A , this is shown as “Unit A” in request 720 . In some cases, request 720 may use Figure 2 and the format of Table 3. In some cases, request 720 may use Figure 3and the format of Table 4. In some cases, request 720 may use Figure 4 and the format of Table 5. In some cases, a request may use a combination of the above embodiments. Other options are possible.

[0115] exist Figure 7 In the example of , the second device 712 cannot provide a signal having the requested units and therefore returns an error indication 730.

[0116] In some cases, error indication 730 simply indicates that the second device cannot provide the requested information.

[0117] In some cases, error indication 730 may include details or workarounds. For example, error indication 730 may indicate that the requested unit is not available, but the information may be provided using other units of measurement.

[0118] Other options are possible.

[0119] The first device 710 receives the error indication 730 and formulates a new request 740 in which a signal is requested using a different unit. Figure 7 The second request 740 may use the same format as that used by the first request 720, namely, Tables 3 to 5 and Figures 2 to 4 In some cases, the error indication 730 indicates that the second device 712 can provide information in units of B.

[0120] exist Figure 7 In the example of , the second device is able to provide the requested information having the second unit found in the request 740 and thus returns a response 750 that provides the information having the requested unit.

[0121] The first device receives the response 750. In some cases, the first device may use a signal having a second unit.

[0122] In some cases, because the first device 710 knows that the unit is not the desired unit, the first device 710 can optionally convert the unit to the desired unit at block 752 .

[0123] and Figure 5 Examples and Figure 6 The same as the example, Figure 7Embodiments may provide other information where such information is specified in the request. Specifically, instead of or in addition to requesting a signal with units, the request may include a data type, information type, or other data associated with a particular signal to remove ambiguity. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to requests for signals of specified units or the return of signals of specified units. For example, Vehicle.Speed ​​or Vehicle.Speed.MPH may become Vehicle.Speed.String or Vehicle.Speed.MPH.String to return the speed in a string format. Other options are possible.

[0124] based on Figures 2 to 7 The embodiments of Tables 3 to 5 reduce or eliminate ambiguity in communication between two devices.

[0125] Example Vehicle Systems

[0126] The present disclosure is described with respect to an automotive system. However, this is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the methods and systems described herein may be used equally with any other system.

[0127] For example, now refer to the node 810 Figure 8 As used herein, a node may be one or a group of electronic control units, a central processing unit, or a core control, among other options, and a node may be considered a single computing unit.

[0128] exist Figure 8 In the example of , the node 810 includes a service manager 820 that can interact with a driver for a sensor to which the node is connected. For example, the node 810 can access a location sensor (such as a global positioning system (GPS) chipset), as shown in block 822.

[0129] In order to allow the node 810 to interact with modules on other nodes and provide functions together with the computing system, a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) can be provided on the node 810, which includes HAL services 830. Each HAL service 830 is responsible for the integration of sensors and can provide various functions, including: integration to basic sensors; normalization of sensor data; and / or, if necessary, providing a barrier between safety certified software and non-certified software. Other functions for HAL services are also possible.

[0130] exist Figure 8 In the example of , the HAL is provided for camera information, as shown at block 832 .

[0131] Although Figure 8The example of shows a node 810 with a single service and a single HAL, but this is provided for illustration purposes only. The node 810 can have a single service without a HAL, a single HAL without a service, multiple services without a HAL, multiple HALs without a service, and / or a combination of services and HALs.

[0132] In many systems, node 810 will need to communicate with other nodes, such as other ECUs, CPUs, or computing systems, where such ECUs, CPUs, or computing systems may use an operating system different from that of node 810 .

[0133] Such a system may use a modified VSS system as described above.

[0134] Example computing system

[0135] Any computing device may be used to implement the network elements, nodes, computing devices, and other computing platforms described above. Fig. 9 A simplified diagram of a computing device is shown. Fig. 9 The computing device may be any fixed computing device or a mobile computing device.

[0136] exist Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the device 910 includes a processor 920 and a communication subsystem 930, wherein the processor 920 and the communication subsystem 930 cooperate to perform the method of the embodiment described above. The communication subsystem 930 allows the device 910 to communicate with other devices or network elements, and can vary based on the type of communication being performed. In addition, the communication subsystem 930 can include a variety of communication technologies, including any wired communication technology or wireless communication technology.

[0137] Processor 920 is configured to execute programmable logic that may be stored on device 910 along with data and may be used to execute programmable logic. Fig. 9 In the example of , the memory 940 is shown. The memory 940 can be any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction codes that, when executed by the processor 920, cause the device 910 to perform the methods of the present disclosure. The computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible or transient / non-transitory medium, such as an optical memory (e.g., CD, DVD, etc.), a magnetic memory (e.g., a tape), a flash drive memory, a hard drive memory, or other memory known in the art.

[0138] Alternatively, or in addition to memory 940 , device 910 may access data or programmable logic from an external storage medium, such as through communications subsystem 930 .

[0139] exist Fig. 9In the example of , one or more internal sensors 970 or external sensors 972 can be associated with the computing device. However, this is optional, and in some cases, the computing device 910 will not be associated with a sensor.

[0140] In one embodiment, communication between the various elements of device 910 may be through internal bus 960. However, other forms of communication are possible.

[0141] The embodiments described herein are examples of structures, systems or methods with elements corresponding to the technical elements of the present application. This written description can enable those skilled in the art to make and use embodiments with alternative elements corresponding to the technical elements of the present application. Therefore, the intended scope of the technology of the present application includes other structures, systems or methods that are not different from the technology of the present application described herein, and also includes other structures, systems or methods that are not substantially different from the technology of the present application described herein.

[0142] Although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all described operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be employed. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may be generally integrated together in a single software product or packaged together in multiple software products.

[0143] In addition, the techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated as discrete or separate in various implementations may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods. Other items shown or discussed as coupled to each other or directly coupled to each other or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicated through some interface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations may be determined and made by those skilled in the art.

[0144] Although the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out the basic novel features of the present disclosure as applied to various implementations, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the described system may be made by those skilled in the art. In addition, the order of the method steps is not implied by the order in which they appear in the claims.

[0145] When a message is sent to / from an electronic device, such an operation may not be immediate or directly from a server. The operation may be delivered synchronously or asynchronously from a server or other computing system infrastructure supporting the device / method / system described herein. The aforementioned steps may include, in whole or in part, synchronous / asynchronous communication to / from a device / infrastructure. Moreover, the communication from the electronic device may be to one or more endpoints on the network. The endpoint may be served by a server, a distributed computing system, a stream processor, etc. A content delivery network (CDN) may also provide communication to an electronic device. For example, a server may also provide or indicate data for a content delivery network (CDN) to wait for downloading by an electronic device at a later time (such as, subsequent activities of an electronic device), rather than providing a usual server response. Therefore, data may be sent directly from a server or other infrastructure (such as, a distributed infrastructure or CDN), as part of a system or separated from a system.

[0146] Generally, the storage medium may include any or some combination of the following: semiconductor memory devices (such as dynamic random access memory or static random access memory (DRAM or SRAM)), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory; magnetic disks, such as fixed disks, floppy disks, and removable disks; another magnetic medium including a tape; optical media, such as a compact disk (CD) or a digital video disk (DVD); or another type of storage device. Note that the instructions discussed above may be provided on one computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, or alternatively, may be provided on multiple computer-readable or machine-readable storage media distributed in a large system with possibly multiple nodes. Such computer-readable or machine-readable one or more storage media are considered to be part of an article of manufacture (or an article of manufacture). An article of manufacture or an article of manufacture may refer to any single component or multiple components manufactured. The one or more storage media may be located in the machine that runs the machine-readable instructions, or at a remote site from which the machine-readable instructions may be downloaded over a network for execution.

[0147] In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the subject matter disclosed herein. However, implementations may be practiced without some of these details. Other implementations may include modifications and variations based on the details discussed above. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method at a computing device, comprising: sending a request for data from the signal to the second entity; as well as A response is received providing the data, the response also specifying a unit of measurement to be used for the signal. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is part of a tree structure, wherein the response comprises the measurement units as part of a branch of the signal. 3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the response further comprises a data type designated as a branch of the signal. The method of claim 1 , wherein the response includes the unit of measurement as part of a name of the signal. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the responding includes using a separator after a signal name, the unit of measurement being specified after the separator. The method of claim 5 , wherein the unit of measurement is defined in an enumerated list of units of measurement for the signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein when the request does not specify the unit of measurement, the response includes a first unit of measurement from the enumerated list.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining that a unit of measurement of the response is different than a unit of measurement specified in the request; as well as The units of measurement are converted at the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request comprises a first request for data in a first unit of measurement, the method further comprising, prior to the receiving: receiving an error message from the second entity in response to the first request; as well as sending a second request to the second entity, the second request comprising the request for data using the measurement unit for the signal; as well as After receiving the response, the data in the measurement unit is converted into data in the first measurement unit.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is a Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance (COVESA) Vehicle Signaling Specification (VSS) signal.

11. A computing device comprising: processor; as well as Communication subsystem, The computing device is configured to: sending a request for data from the signal to the second entity; as well as A response is received providing the data, the response also specifying a unit of measurement to be used for the signal.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the signal is part of a tree structure, wherein the response includes the measurement unit as part of a branch of the signal.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the response further comprises a data type designated as a branch of the signal.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the response includes the unit of measurement as part of a name of the signal.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the response comprises using a separator after a signal name, the unit of measurement being specified after the separator.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the unit of measurement is defined in an enumerated list of units of measurement for the signal.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein when the request does not specify the unit of measurement, the response includes a first unit of measurement from the enumerated list.

18. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing device is further configured to: determining that a unit of measurement of the response is different than a unit of measurement specified in the request; and The units of measurement are converted at the computing device.

19. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the request comprises a first request for data in a first unit of measurement, the computing device further configured, prior to the receiving: receiving an error message from the second entity in response to the first request; as well as sending a second request to the second entity, the second request comprising the request for data using the measurement unit for the signal; as well as After receiving the response, the data in the measurement unit is converted into data in the first measurement unit.

20. A computer readable medium storing instruction codes which, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to: sending a request for data from the signal to the second entity; and A response is received providing the data, the response also specifying a unit of measurement to be used for the signal.

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