Method for operating control system and control system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (100) for operating a control system (10) of a vehicle (50), comprising at least two controllers (11) which are in communication connection at least for a short time via a network (12) for data transmission in which data transmission is carried out according to a polling scheduling method, according to the invention, at least one controller (11) is configured as a server controller (11.1) at least in a short time, and at least one controller (11) is configured as a client controller (11.2) at least in a short time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method having the features of independent claim 1, a control system having the features of independent claim 11, a vehicle having the features of independent claim 12, a computer program product having the features of independent claim 13, a computer-readable storage medium having the features of independent claim 14 and a data-carrying signal having the features of independent claim 15. Background Art

[0002] In modern vehicles, a large amount of data is detected, transmitted and further processed. In this case, the data detected at one location are often required in a linked manner by multiple vehicle systems or applications at the same time and are further processed in a linked manner or simply displayed to the user. These data can be both sensor-detected variables (such as, for example, the tire pressure or GPS position of the vehicle) and user-specific input variables (such as, for example, a selected display layout or a display of the vehicle speed in km / h or mph).

[0003] For example, if the tire pressure is detected by a sensor, in particular by a tire pressure sensor, this tire pressure is of interest to a tire pressure monitoring system of the vehicle, which compares the tire pressure with a reference value and detects safety-related deviations. At the same time, other vehicle systems, such as, for example, an HMI (Human-Machine-Interface) of the vehicle, which displays the tire pressure to a user of the vehicle on a display, may also be interested in the tire pressure.

[0004] Data distribution within the vehicle is usually based on service-oriented communication. This means that individual vehicle systems provide their data as part of a so-called service to possible recipients (other vehicle systems), and the recipients can subscribe to one or more services as required.

[0005] In this regard, a possible approach is to transmit a service item message (Dienstangebotsnachricht) from a controller (server controller, which monitors or operates at least one vehicle system, such as, for example, a tire pressure detection device and / or a position detection device of the vehicle) to at least one other controller (client controller) or multiple other controllers (client controllers). The subject of the service item message is which services can be provided to the client controller from the server controller. Now, the client controller, in particular at least one vehicle system operated by the client controller, can again reserve at least one service provided by the server controller, in particular by transmitting a corresponding response to the server controller (reservation confirmation). Therefore, the server controller transmits data related to the reserved service (such as tire pressure of the vehicle, GPS position, etc.) to the client controller or to the relevant vehicle system operated by the client controller, at least within a limited time period. Based on this approach, it is ensured that data is transmitted only when necessary and only to the location where the data is needed, thereby reducing the data traffic occurring in the vehicle as a whole.

[0006] Internal vehicle communication between two or more controllers usually takes place via a network, in particular an Ethernet. In this case, so-called switches are used, which form central communication nodes within the network and ensure that data transmitted by one network participant (e.g. service item messages) are correctly transmitted to other participants. This also makes it possible for multiple network participants to send simultaneously. A problem in this regard is that switches are relatively expensive hardware components. It is therefore desirable to keep the number of switches as small as possible or to completely eliminate switches. However, eliminating switches means that it is no longer possible for multiple network participants (controllers) to send simultaneously, and a data bus-like data transmission method must be used, in which network participants are allowed to send repeatedly within their respective transmission time slots in a specified order (polling scheduling or Round-Robin method).

[0007] Here, a limited amount of data can be transmitted in each transmission time slot, whereby, in combination with the basic data transmission rate of the network (e.g. 10 Mbit / s, 100 Mbit / s), the limited amount of data specifies the maximum duration of the transmission time slot. However, the transmission time slot does not necessarily have to be used by the network participant. If there is no data to be transmitted, the transition to the next transmission time slot of the next network participant is made after the minimum duration. Accordingly, since the duration of the transmission time slots of the network participants is variable, the time between two transmission time slots of the participants may sometimes vary significantly. As a result, this may result in that only a single service can be provided at the server controller in a delayed manner and possibly with delay. However, if the service is not prepared or provided in time, this may result in that a single vehicle system or server controller actively searches for services in the network as part of a search message. In other words, a search message is transmitted to the network by a client controller or multiple server controllers, in particular by multicast, and the search message indicates that a specific service or multiple specific services are required on the client controller, in particular on at least one vehicle system running on the client controller. The transmission of search messages in the network may result in higher network load, which in turn may affect the rapid and timely transmission of service item messages.

[0008] Another challenge in service-oriented communication in the network is processing the responses received during the sending of service messages. For example, at least one service can be subscribed to by a large number of client controllers or vehicle systems running on these client controllers, and accordingly a large number of messages can be sent to the server controller as the sender of the service message, which in turn must be processed on the server controller side. This can lead to resource bottlenecks on the server controller, as a result of which the processing of individual responses can be delayed, or the responses can even be completely lost. This can therefore lead to the required data being transmitted to the recipient, in particular the client controller, with delays or even not being transmitted at all.

[0009] If the client controller, in particular at least one vehicle system running on the client controller, is not provided with the required data or is not provided in a timely manner, this may lead to fault indications, functional failures or failures of individual vehicle systems. As a result, safety-related vehicle systems may be impeded. Due to the occurrence of fault indications and / or functional limitations of the vehicle, the comfort of use of the vehicle may sometimes be significantly reduced. It can be seen from this that after the relevant vehicle data is detected or generated, it should be distributed in the vehicle as simply, effectively, in accordance with the requirements and in a timely manner as possible to assist the smooth operation of all vehicle system functions. Summary of the invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is therefore to at least partially overcome at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages. In particular, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for operating a control system of a vehicle, a control system, a vehicle, a computer program product, a computer-readable storage medium and a data-carrying signal, by means of which a reliable, secure and / or improved transmission of data between a plurality of controllers of the vehicle is possible.

[0011] The above objects are achieved by a method for operating a control system of a vehicle according to a first aspect of the invention, a control system for a vehicle according to a second aspect of the invention, a vehicle according to a third aspect of the invention, a computer program product according to a fourth aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage medium according to a fifth aspect of the invention, and a data-carrying signal according to a sixth aspect of the invention. Further features and details of the invention are obtained from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings. Here, the features and details described in conjunction with the method according to the invention naturally also apply to the vehicle according to the invention and / or the computer program product according to the invention and / or the computer-readable storage medium according to the invention and / or the data-carrying signal according to the invention, and vice versa accordingly, so that the disclosure of the various aspects of the invention always refers to each other or can refer to each other.

[0012] According to the invention, a method for operating a control system of a vehicle is proposed, the control system comprising at least two controllers, wherein the at least two controllers are at least temporarily in a communication connection, in particular bidirectional, via a network for data transmission, the data transmission in the network taking place according to a round-robin method, so that all controllers are assigned temporally consecutive transmission time slots for transmitting data, at least one controller being configured at least temporarily as a server controller and at least one controller being configured at least temporarily as a client controller, the method comprising:

[0013] - determining, in particular by means of the server controller, a service offering on the server controller, the service offering comprising at least one service available on the server controller,

[0014] - determining, in particular by the server controller, transmission time information, wherein the transmission time information characterizes an earliest and / or latest start time of a next transmission time slot of the server controller,

[0015] - determining load information, in particular by the server controller, wherein the load information characterizes a current load of the server controller,

[0016] - in particular by means of the server controller, assigning the service offer to one or more service offer messages based on the transmission time information and the load information, wherein each service offer message represents at least one service available on the server controller,

[0017] - in particular by the server controller, during at least one transmission time slot assigned to the server controller, transmitting a service offer message or a plurality of service offer messages from the server controller to at least one client server, preferably each service offer message being transmitted in a separate transmission time slot.

[0018] In other words, a method for operating a control system of a vehicle is proposed, wherein the control system comprises at least two controllers. The controllers are at least temporarily in a communication connection, in particular bidirectional, via a network for data transmission, in particular Ethernet. Data transmission in the network is carried out by means of a round-robin method, so that all controllers are assigned transmission time slots that are sequential in time for data transmission. The round-robin method is carried out cyclically, so that after the end of a cycle, in which a transmission time slot is provided for each network participant, a new cycle begins, in which the order of the transmission time slots of the respective network participants remains unchanged.

[0019] At least one controller of the control system is configured as a server controller or operates as a server controller, in particular at least temporarily, and at least one controller of the control system is configured as a client controller or operates as a client controller, in particular at least temporarily. Here, a server controller should be understood as a controller that provides at least one service in a network at least temporarily or can provide at least one service in a network at least temporarily. In addition, a client controller should be understood as a controller that requests or reserves at least one service in a network at least temporarily. Within the scope of the present invention, it can be provided that at least one controller is configured to be used, in particular at least temporarily, not only as a server controller, but also as a client controller, in particular at least temporarily. In other words, it can be provided that at least one controller can be not only a provider of services in the network, but also a service requester. Thus, the method according to the present invention can be used for multiple controllers of a control system, wherein in particular the corresponding method involves the operation of the relevant controller as a server controller.

[0020] The method provides for determining a service offer on a server controller, wherein the service offer includes at least one service that the server controller can provide. In particular, a service can include the provision of data and / or information as its object / subject. In this regard, it is ensured that only services that are actually available are provided by the server controller in the network. Thus, for example, it can be provided that individual vehicle systems are only available after a longer vehicle operating time or only at certain times. The check of the availability of the service on the server controller when preparing to transmit a service offer message thus helps to prevent errors and also allows the parameters of the service offer and thus the parameters of the service offer message(s) generated based on the service offer to be reduced to a minimum.

[0021] Furthermore, it is provided that transmission time information is determined, wherein the transmission time information characterizes the earliest and / or latest start time of the next transmission time slot of the server controller. In other words, it is determined when the server controller has the possibility to transmit data in the network again (for example, to transmit at least one service item message) at the earliest or at the latest. For this purpose, it can be provided, for example, that in the polling scheduling method, the end time of the last transmission time slot is combined with the shortest cycle duration and the longest cycle duration to determine the earliest or latest start time of the next transmission time slot of the server controller. This therefore characterizes when the service item is available to other network participants, in particular client controllers, at the earliest or at the latest.

[0022] In the context of the invention, it can be provided that the start and end times of the transmission time slots are stored by at least one controller, in particular a server controller or a client controller. Thus, the time history of the transmission time slots available to the controllers can be accessed. Additionally or alternatively, the time at which a service item message has been transmitted and which services are contained in the service item message can be stored by at least one controller, in particular a server controller. Thus, the time history of the services provided by the server controller can be easily accessed. In particular, it can be determined in a simple manner at which time a service was last provided in the network. Additionally or alternatively, the time at which a reservation confirmation has been received and which client controller has reserved which service or services by means of the reservation confirmation can be stored by at least one controller, in particular a server controller. Thus, the time history of the services reserved at the server controller can be accessed.

[0023] In addition, it is provided that load information is determined, wherein the load information characterizes the in particular current load of the server controller. Here, the load of the server controller should be understood as the server controller load in terms of its storage and / or computing capacity.

[0024] Furthermore, the method provides that, depending on the determined transmission time information and the determined load information, the service offering is allocated to one or more service offering messages, wherein each service offering message represents at least one service available at the server controller. Thus, depending on the transmission time information and the load information, the available services contained in the service offering are provided in the network either as part of a single service offering message or in a grouped manner and as part of a plurality of service offering messages, wherein each service offering message is preferably transmitted to the remaining network participants (client controllers) in a separate transmission time slot, i.e., staggered in time.

[0025] For example, if the result of the load information determination shows that a large part of the server controller's resources are occupied, the number of services offered as part of the service offer message can be reduced. If fewer services are offered in a service offer message, the number of subscription confirmations transmitted from the client controllers in the network to the server controller as a response to the service offer message (the subject of the subscription confirmation is a subscription for one or more services in the service offer message) is also reduced. This ensures that the responses arriving at the server controller can also be processed in a practical and predictable manner in terms of their number.

[0026] Furthermore, if the result of the determination of the transmission time information indicates that the next possible transmission of the service item message is still in the relatively distant future, the number of services provided as part of the service item message can be increased or maximized to ensure that all services are provided to other network participants (client controllers) as quickly as possible and thus in a timely manner in terms of prediction. When making such an assessment, the starting point can be the latest possible transmission time, which corresponds to a pessimistic assumption, or the starting point can be the earliest possible transmission time, which corresponds to an optimistic assumption. For example, it is also possible to rely on an intermediate value between the earliest possible time and the latest possible time.

[0027] The method according to the invention has the advantage that, with regard to the transmission of service item messages in the network, not only the network topology and the delays in the transmission caused thereby, but also the available resources of the server controller acting as the sender of the service item message are evaluated and taken into account, so that the data transmission in the network is as reliable, secure and efficient as possible. In addition, the proposed method allows the network to be operated optimally within the scope of the polling scheduling method, whereby the number of switches in the vehicle can be reduced overall or switches can be eliminated.

[0028] Within the scope of the invention, a vehicle system can be both a provider of services and a consumer of services (a subscriber of services). At least one vehicle system can be designed at least partially as a software application and preferably runs on at least one controller. A plurality of vehicle systems can run on at least one controller, wherein each of the vehicle systems can provide at least one service and / or request or book at least one service. Thus, in particular, the receipt of a service item at only one client controller can trigger a plurality of booking confirmations.

[0029] It may be provided that, in response to receiving the service offer message, at least one subscription confirmation is transmitted from the client controller to the server controller which transmitted the service offer message in the at least one client controller.Features of the subscription confirmation table The client controller, in particular at least one vehicle system running on the client controller, subscribes to at least one service from the service offer message.

[0030] It can be provided that at least one service offer message comprises at least one server controller identification, wherein the server controller identification characterizes a specific server controller. It is thereby achieved in a simple manner that the client controller can transmit a booking confirmation to the correct server controller. Additionally or alternatively it can be provided that at least one booking confirmation and / or at least one search message comprises a client controller identification, wherein the client controller identification characterizes a specific client controller. It is thereby achieved in a simple manner that, as a response to a booking confirmation or a search message, the server controller can transmit data corresponding to the booked and / or searched service to the correct client controller.

[0031] It can be provided within the scope of the invention that at least individual steps of the method are repeatedly performed. In particular, it can be provided that the method is periodically performed during operation of the control system, in particular on the part of at least one controller. The individual steps of the method can be performed at least partially simultaneously. Additionally or alternatively, it can be provided that at least individual steps of the method are implemented by a computer, in particular, the method is a computer-implemented method.

[0032] Furthermore, it can be provided that at least one service offer message is transmitted in a multicast manner in the network. In other words, the service offer message is transmitted simultaneously or almost simultaneously from the server controller to the client controllers available in the network. In this way, the advantage can be achieved that the service offers of the server controllers are provided to the client controllers simultaneously or almost simultaneously. This ensures that the available service is available as quickly as possible in all client controllers. Furthermore, the expiration time of the service can be determined uniformly in the client controllers and thus more easily.

[0033] At least one service can have at least one of the following as an object:

[0034] - provide at least one vehicle parameter,

[0035] - provide at least one environmental parameter,

[0036] - provide at least one user parameter,

[0037] -Provide at least one user setting.

[0038] Here, the vehicle parameter should be understood as a parameter that characterizes the vehicle state. In particular, the vehicle parameter can be at least one of the following:

[0039] - the vehicle's tire pressure,

[0040] - the vehicle's location, in particular its GPS location,

[0041] - the speed of the vehicle,

[0042] - the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle,

[0043] - the maintenance status of at least one component of the vehicle,

[0044] - the vehicle's fuel tank level,

[0045] - the state of charge of at least one energy storage device of the vehicle, in particular a battery,

[0046] - the vehicle's oil level,

[0047] - the number of occupants in the vehicle,

[0048] - the open state of at least one door flap, in particular a door or a fuel tank flap, and / or at least one window of the vehicle,

[0049] - the seatbelt status of at least one vehicle occupant,

[0050] - the steering angle of at least the steering wheel and / or at least one wheel of the vehicle,

[0051] - the position of at least one pedal of the vehicle, in particular an accelerator pedal or a brake pedal.

[0052] Here, an environmental parameter should be understood as a parameter that characterizes the vehicle environment. In particular, the environmental parameter can be at least one of the following:

[0053] - Ambient temperature,

[0054] - ambient air humidity,

[0055] - Environmental pressure,

[0056] - ambient brightness,

[0057] - information about the vehicle's surface, in particular the road surface,

[0058] - information about the distance to at least one vehicle ahead or behind,

[0059] - information about the blind spot of at least one at least partially adjacent vehicle,

[0060] - in particular the direction of the road or lane detected by the vehicle,

[0061] - a position and / or contour feature of at least one obstacle, in particular detected by the vehicle.

[0062] Here, a user parameter should be understood as a parameter that characterizes a vehicle user. In particular, the user parameter can be at least one of the following:

[0063] - the user's vital functions,

[0064] - the user's fatigue status,

[0065] - the user's weight,

[0066] - The user's height.

[0067] Here, user settings should be understood as parameters that characterize the user's settings at the vehicle, that is, in particular, the user's specific selections with respect to multiple setting options at the vehicle. In particular, the user settings can be at least one of the following:

[0068] - Suspension settings, especially Sport or Comfort mode,

[0069] - setting of units, in particular speed units, preferably km / h or mph,

[0070] - Seat settings,

[0071] - Steering wheel position,

[0072] -internal space temperature,

[0073] - the state of at least one seat heating of the vehicle,

[0074] - The position or status of at least one rear view mirror of the vehicle.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned vehicle parameters, environmental parameters, user parameters and / or user settings.

[0076] It may be advantageous within the scope of the invention if the service item determination on the server controller includes at least one of the following:

[0077] - determine the current availability of at least one service,

[0078] - determining the future availability of the service at a future time, wherein the future time characterizes the—in particular expected—start time of the next transmission time slot assigned to the server controller,

[0079] - Include the service in the service offering if it is currently and will be available in the future.

[0080] In other words, it can first be determined whether a service is currently available. Furthermore, it can be provided that it is determined whether the service will also be available in the future. In particular, in this context, it can be provided, for example, that it is known that a certain vehicle system (as provider of the service) will be disconnected in the future, in particular at a known time. For example, if this time is before a future time, the service can no longer be provided, because otherwise the subscription of the service by the client controller, in particular at least one vehicle system of the client controller, could result in an error. It can thus be provided that a service is included in the offer and therefore also provided in the network only if it is not only currently available but also available in the future.

[0081] The future moment can be determined as the moment at which the next transmission time slot of the server controller is expected to start. The future moment can thus be consistent with the transmission time information or can be determined based on the transmission time information. Furthermore, when determining the future moment, a buffer time can additionally be taken into account for determining the future moment. It can thus be ensured that the relevant service is still available for at least a limited time after the start of the next transmission time slot. Thus, in particular, the future moment can be defined by adding the buffer time to the moment at which the next transmission time slot of the server controller is expected to start.

[0082] It is conceivable within the scope of the present invention that at least one of the following is additionally included:

[0083] - determining a last transmission time of at least one service available on the server controller, wherein the last transmission time characterizes the time when the service was last transmitted to at least one client controller and in particular subscribed to by at least one client controller,

[0084] - query the validity period of the service and calculate the remaining time until the validity period of the service expires on the client controller that subscribed to the service,

[0085] - taking the remaining time into account when allocating the service offer to one or more service offer messages and / or giving priority to at least one service offer message with regard to the temporal transmission of the service offer messages as a function of the remaining time.

[0086] In other words, in at least one service, it can be determined when the service was last provided in the network, and in particular, it can also be determined when the service was booked by at least one client controller, in particular at least one vehicle system running on the client controller. In addition, it can be provided that, in terms of the service, the validity period (Time tolive) of the service is queried. In particular, the validity period can be provided directly by the service or at least one vehicle system used as a service provider. Within the scope of the present invention, it can be provided that the service item includes at least one validity period of the service covered by the service item. The validity period should be understood as the length of time that reliable data transmission through the service can be ensured from the time the service is provided in the client controller. Thus, the expiration time can be calculated based on the validity period and the last transmission time, wherein the expiration time characterizes the expiration of the validity period of the service in the client controller that has booked the service. For example, the expiration of the validity period of the service in the client controller may cause the client controller to believe that data transmission can no longer be performed within the scope of the service. Accordingly, a functional failure or a fault prompt may be triggered thereby. Therefore, it is strived to provide the service again in the client controller before the expiration time and can be booked by the client controller to ensure continuous or on-demand provision of data.

[0087] When allocating the service items to one or more service messages, the calculated expiration time can be taken into account. In particular, the remaining time can be compared with at least one remaining time limit. If the remaining time is lower than or reaches the remaining time limit, then preferably, the relevant service can be isolated in a service item message, and / or combined with relatively few services, in particular up to ten or up to five or up to three or up to one service, in a service item message. This can help to quickly process possible booking confirmations as a response to the service item message, and can quickly provide data to the relevant client controller. In addition or alternatively, a service item message containing relevant services can be given a time priority according to the remaining time. In particular, it can be provided that when the remaining time is lower than or reaches the remaining time limit, a service item message with relevant services is given a higher priority in terms of its time transmission, so that the service item message is transmitted earlier in time than other service item messages. Therefore, it can help to re-provide and book services as quickly as possible and before the expiration of the validity period in the client controller. Therefore, it can better avoid interruptions in communication connections or errors and fault prompts.

[0088] It may be provided within the scope of the present invention that at least one of the following is additionally included:

[0089] - determining a subscription forecast for at least one service available on the server controller, wherein the subscription forecast characterizes an expected number of possible subscription confirmations for the service on the server controller,

[0090] - determining a load forecast according to the booking forecast, wherein the load forecast characterizes an additional load on the server controller caused by the number of booking confirmations according to the booking forecast,

[0091] taking the load forecast into account when allocating the services to one or more service offer messages and / or giving priority to at least one service offer message with regard to the temporal transmission of the service offer messages as a function of the load forecast.

[0092] In other words, it can be provided that a booking forecast is determined for a service covered by at least one service offer. The booking forecast indicates how many booking confirmations are expected in the server controller as a response to a service sent as part of a service offer message. For this purpose, it can be evaluated, for example, how many participants are active in the network. For example, the activity level can be determined by evaluating whether a network participant regularly uses its transmission time slots to transmit data or lets the transmission time slots expire. This in turn can be determined based on the cycle time of a polling scheduling method. Additionally or alternatively, it can be evaluated how many client controllers, in particular vehicle systems, have booked the service in the past on average in response to the provision of the service in the network. In other words, it can be evaluated how many booking confirmations the server controller received on average when the service was provided in the network.

[0093] Based on the booking forecast, a load forecast can be determined, which characterizes the additional load on the server controller due to processing a certain number of booking confirmations according to the booking forecast. The additional load may involve a load on the memory and / or computing power of the server controller.

[0094] When allocating service items to one or more service item messages, the load forecast can be taken into account. In particular, it can be provided that when a service is expected to cause a high additional load on the server controller, the service is isolated in a service item message and / or combined with relatively few services, in particular a maximum of ten or a maximum of five or a maximum of three or a maximum of one service, in a service item message. It can be ensured that the maximum load of the server controller is not exceeded and all booking confirmations obtained as a response to the sent service item message can be processed correctly and not partially lost. This in turn enables reliable and secure data communication in the network and thus contributes to the trouble-free operation of the vehicle. In addition or alternatively, a service item message containing the relevant service can be given a time priority based on the load forecast. For this purpose, for example, the load forecast can be compared with the load information. If the load generated by combining the load information and the load forecast exceeds the maximum load of the server controller, the sending of the service item message can be postponed, for example, until the current load of the server controller is reduced. On the other hand, when the current server controller load is low, a service with a high load forecast can be given a time priority to be provided as quickly as possible.

[0095] It may be provided within the scope of the invention that the determination of the booking forecast comprises at least the following:

[0096] - evaluating at least one search message received at the server controller, wherein the search message indicates that at least one client controller, in particular at least one vehicle system running on the client controller, has searched for at least one service.

[0097] Within the scope of this evaluation, it can be determined, for example, whether the service to which the search message relates can currently be provided by the server controller or is part of a service offer. If this is the case, it can be assumed that at least the client controller that transmitted the search message will subscribe to the service after the service offer message is sent. In this regard, the evaluation of the search message(s) received by the server controller can contribute to improving the subscription forecast.

[0098] Furthermore, it is conceivable that the determination of the transmission time information includes at least one of the following:

[0099] - determining a data transmission rate of the network, determining a number of participants in the network, and calculating an earliest and / or latest start time of a next transmission time slot of the server controller based on the data transmission rate and / or the number of participants.

[0100] Preferably, the data transmission rate can be known according to the network type, for example, 10Mbit / s Ethernet, or 100Mbit / s Ethernet. The determination of the number of participants in the network can be realized, for example, by reading the IP address in the network from the server controller. Alternatively, the number of participants can be directly queried in the network driver. Alternatively, the number of participants can be determined by evaluating the cycle time of the polling scheduling method. In this regard, at least the maximum or minimum number of participants can be confirmed based on the known shortest and longest duration of the transmission time slot for each cycle. Combined with the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted in the transmission time slot (which is known to all network participants), the longest duration of the transmission time slot can be determined from the data transmission rate of the network. In addition, the shortest duration of the transmission time slot is known in the polling scheduling method, which is equivalent to the relevant network participants giving up their transmission possibilities. Therefore, when the number of participants is known and each participant is allowed to send once during a cycle, the earliest start time of the next transmission slot of the server controller can be determined based on the shortest duration of the transmission slot and the number of participants, and the latest start time of the next transmission slot of the server controller can be determined based on the longest duration of the transmission slot and the number of participants.

[0101] It is further contemplated that the present invention includes at least the following:

[0102] - determining a transmission time prediction associated with at least one service item message, wherein the transmission time prediction characterizes a round trip time of the service item message.

[0103] The round trip time is to be understood as the time which elapses from the sending of the service message until the booking confirmation sent from the client controller as a response to the service message arrives at the server controller. Based on the round trip time, it can be estimated how much time is left for the server controller between the sending of the service message and the reception of the corresponding reply. For example, the transmission time prediction can be determined by evaluating historical data. For example, an average value related to the previous transmission of the service message can be determined. The service message can be given a time priority based on the round trip time. In particular, it can be provided that if the transmission time prediction infers a relatively long transmission time, an effort is made to transmit the service message as early as possible.

[0104] It is also conceivable that the determination of the load information includes at least one of the following:

[0105] - determining the load of at least one working memory / main memory of the server controller,

[0106] - determining the load of at least one computing unit, in particular at least one processor, of the server controller,

[0107] - determining the load of at least one, in particular non-volatile, data memory of the server controller.

[0108] Furthermore, it is contemplated here that the following may be included:

[0109] - determining a data volume forecast for the service item and taking the data volume forecast into account when allocating the service item to one or more service item messages.

[0110] Preferably, the data volume forecast may characterize the cumulative data volume of the service item message containing the entire service item. In particular, the data volume forecast may be compared with the maximum data volume that can be transmitted in one transmission time slot. The data volume forecast may be taken into account when allocating the service item to one or more service item messages. In particular, if the data volume forecast exceeds the maximum data volume, the service item may be allocated to multiple service item messages.

[0111] Optionally, it is feasible within the scope of the present invention to additionally include at least one of the following:

[0112] - comparing the number of services covered by the service offer with a limit value, and if the number of services covered by the service offer exceeds the limit value, distributing the service offer into multiple service offer messages.

[0113] In other words, if the number of services to be provided exceeds a limit value, a plurality of service item messages may be set from the outset. Preferably, the limit value may be defined according to a maximum amount of data that may be transmitted in one transmission time slot.

[0114] It can be provided within the scope of the invention that the network is designed without switches. In other words, it can be provided that the network does not include a switch. Additionally or alternatively, it can be provided within the scope of the invention that the network is designed as Ethernet, in particular 10 Mbit / s Ethernet, wherein preferably communication in the network takes place in Multi-Drop mode (PLCA mode, Physical Layer Collision Avoidance Mode).

[0115] In addition, the above-mentioned purpose is achieved by a control system for a vehicle according to the second aspect of the present invention, the control system comprising at least two controllers, wherein the controllers are in a communication connection, in particular a bidirectional communication connection, at least for a short time via a network for data transmission, at least one controller is configured as a server controller or operates as a server controller at least for a short time, and at least one controller is configured as a client controller or operates as a client controller at least for a short time, and the control system is operated according to the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in particular according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

[0116] Here, at least one controller may include means for data processing. Preferably, the means for data processing may include at least one working memory and / or at least one computing unit, in particular at least one processor and / or at least one, in particular non-volatile, data memory. The means for data processing of at least one controller may be configured to perform the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0117] This results in the same advantages with respect to the control system according to the invention as have already been described with reference to the method according to the invention.

[0118] Furthermore, the above object is achieved by a vehicle according to the invention according to a third aspect of the invention. The vehicle comprises at least one control system according to the second aspect of the invention, in particular according to claim 11 .

[0119] This results in the same advantages as already described with reference to the method according to the invention and / or the control system according to the invention with respect to the vehicle according to the invention.

[0120] It can be preferably provided within the scope of the invention that the vehicle is designed as a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car, a motorcycle or a commercial vehicle. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the vehicle is designed as a commercial vehicle, in particular an agricultural vehicle, in particular a tractor or a combine harvester. The vehicle can also be designed as a construction machine, in particular an excavator or a wheel loader.

[0121] In addition, the above object is achieved by a computer program product according to the fourth aspect of the present invention. The computer program product comprises commands that cause a control system according to the second aspect of the present invention, in particular at least one controller of the control system, to perform a method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in particular according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

[0122] As a result, the same advantages result with respect to the computer program product according to the invention as have already been described with reference to the method according to the invention and / or the control system according to the invention and / or the vehicle according to the invention.

[0123] In addition, the above-mentioned purpose is achieved by a computer-readable storage medium according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein a computer program product according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in particular according to claim 13, is stored on the computer-readable storage medium.

[0124] As a result, the same advantages are obtained with respect to the computer-readable storage medium according to the invention as have already been described with reference to the method according to the invention and / or the control system according to the invention and / or the vehicle according to the invention and / or the computer program product according to the invention.

[0125] Furthermore, the above object is achieved by a data-bearing signal according to the invention according to its sixth aspect, wherein the data-bearing signal transmits a computer program product according to its fourth aspect, in particular according to claim 13 .

[0126] As a result, the same advantages are obtained with respect to the data-carrying signal according to the invention as have already been described with reference to the method according to the invention and / or the control system according to the invention and / or the vehicle according to the invention and / or the computer program product according to the invention and / or the computer-readable storage medium according to the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0127] Further advantages, features and details of the invention are apparent from the following description, in which several embodiments of the invention are described individually with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. Among them:

[0128] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the method,

[0129] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the control system,

[0130] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a polling scheduling method is shown,

[0131] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing service-oriented communication,

[0132] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a vehicle is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0133] In the figures, the same reference numerals are used for the same technical features even in different exemplary embodiments.

[0134] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a method 100 for operating a control system 10 of a vehicle 50 is shown, the control system comprising at least two controllers 11, wherein the controllers 11 are at least temporarily in communication connection via a network 12 for data transmission, data transmission in the network 12 is performed according to a polling scheduling method, so that all controllers 11 are assigned temporally consecutive transmission time slots 13 for transmitting data, at least one controller 11 is at least temporarily configured as a server controller 11.1, and at least one controller 11 is at least temporarily configured as a client controller 11.2, the method 100 comprising:

[0135] - determining 110 a service offering on the server controller 11.1, the service offering comprising at least one service available on the server controller 11.1,

[0136] - determining 120 transmission time information, wherein the transmission time information characterizes an earliest and / or latest start time of a next transmission time slot 13 of the server controller 11.1,

[0137] - determining 130 load information, wherein the load information characterizes the current load of the server controller 11.1,

[0138] - allocating 140 the service offerings to one or more service offering messages 17 based on the transmission time information and the load information, wherein each service offering message 17 represents at least one service available on the server controller 11.1,

[0139] During at least one transmission time slot 13 assigned to the server controller 11 . 1 , a service offer message 17 is transmitted 150 from the server controller 11 . 1 to the at least one client controller 11 . 2 , in particular each service offer message 17 is transmitted in a separate transmission time slot 13 .

[0140] also, Figure 2 Shown is a schematic diagram of a control system 10 of a vehicle 50. The control system 10 comprises at least two controllers 11, wherein the controllers 11 are in communication connection via a network 12, wherein at least one controller 11 is configured as a server controller 11.1 and at least one controller 11 is configured as a client controller 11.2.

[0141] The controller 11 comprises means for data processing which in turn comprises a working memory 14, a computing unit 15 and furthermore a data memory 16. The means for data processing, in particular at least on the part of the server controller 11.1, is configured to perform the method 100 according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0142] Data transmission in the network 12 is performed according to the polling scheduling method. Figure 3Schematically shown in . It can be seen that all controllers 11 are equipped with transmission time slots 13 that are successive in time for transmitting data in the network 12. Outside the corresponding transmission time slots 13, no data transmission of the corresponding controller 11 is performed. Passing through all transmission time slots 13 once is called a cycle. After the last transmission time slot 13 of a cycle ends, the next cycle starts again with the transmission time slot 13 that also started the previous cycle. Thus, the duration of the cycle (cycle length Z) is determined by the cumulative duration of the individual transmission time slots 13. The corresponding duration of the transmission time slots 13 can vary from cycle to cycle. In particular, the duration depends on whether the controller 11 transmits data in the transmission time slot 13 assigned to it, and if so, on what amount of data is transmitted.

[0143] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a service-oriented communication between a server controller 11.1 and a client controller 11.2 in a network 12 is shown. It can be seen that the server controller 11.1 repeatedly, in particular periodically, transmits service offer messages 17 to the client controller 11.2 via the network 12. As a response to the received service offer messages 17, a booking confirmation 18 is transmitted from the client controller 11.2 to the server controller 11.1, whereby at least one service provided by the server controller 11.1 is respectively booked by the client controller 11.2, in particular at least one vehicle system running on the client controller 11.2. Therefore, the server controller 11.1 transmits data related to the corresponding booked service (e.g. tire pressure of the vehicle 50, GPS position, etc.) to the client controller 11.2 or to the relevant vehicle system running by the client controller 11.2, at least for a limited period of time. Therefore, the booking confirmation 18 must be processed by the server controller 11.1 in order to establish or maintain a corresponding data connection with the client controller 11.2.

[0144] For clarity, in Figure 4 Only one client controller 11.2 is shown in FIG. However, the service offer message 17 can also be transmitted simultaneously or almost simultaneously, in particular by multicast, to a plurality of client controllers 11.2 in the network 12. This can therefore trigger a correspondingly larger number of subscription confirmations 18.

[0145] also, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a vehicle 50 is shown, wherein the vehicle 50 comprises at least one control system 10 according to the second aspect of the invention. In this case, the vehicle 50 is designed as a motor vehicle.

[0146] List of Reference Numerals

[0147] 10 Control System

[0148] 11 Controller

[0149] 11.1 Server Controller

[0150] 11.2 Client Controller

[0151] 12 Network

[0152] 13 Transmission slots

[0153] 14 Working memory

[0154] 15 Computing Units / Processors

[0155] 16 Data storage

[0156] 17 Service Project News

[0157] 18 Booking confirmation

[0158] 50 Vehicles

[0159] 100 Methods

[0160] 110 OK

[0161] 120 OK

[0162] 130 OK

[0163] 140 Allocation

[0164] 150 Transmission

[0165] T Time

[0166] Z cycle length

Claims

1. A method (100) for operating a control system (10) of a vehicle (50), the control system comprising at least two controllers (11), the at least two controllers (11) being in communication connection at least temporarily via a network (12) for data transmission, data transmission in the network (12) being performed according to a polling scheduling method, so that all controllers (11) are provided with temporally consecutive transmission time slots (13) for transmitting data, at least one controller (11) being configured at least temporarily as a server controller (11.1), and at least one controller (11) being configured at least temporarily as a client controller (11.2), the method (100) comprising: - determining (110) a service offering on the server controller (11.1), the service offering comprising at least one service available on the server controller (11.1), - determining (120) transmission time information, wherein the transmission time information characterizes the earliest and / or latest start time of the next transmission time slot (13) of the server controller (11.1), - determining (130) load information, wherein the load information characterizes a current load of the server controller (11.1), - assigning (140) the service offer to one or more service offer messages (17) based on the transmission time information and the load information, wherein each service offer message represents at least one service available on the server controller (11.1), - during at least one transmission time slot (13) assigned to the server controller, a service offer message (17) is transmitted (150) from the server controller (11.1) to at least one client server (11.2), in particular each service offer message is transmitted in a separate transmission time slot (13).

2. The method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one service has at least one of the following as an object: - provide at least one vehicle parameter, - provide at least one environmental parameter, - Provide at least one user parameter.

3. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The determination (110) of the service items on the server controller (11.1) comprises at least one of the following: - determine the current availability of at least one service, - determining the future availability of at least one service at a future time, wherein the future time represents the - in particular expected - start time of the next transmission time slot (13) assigned to the server controller (11.1), - Include the service in the service offering if it is currently and will be available in the future.

4. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that include: - determining the last transmission time of at least one service available on the server controller (11.1), the last transmission time characterizing the time when the service was last transmitted to at least one client controller (11.2) and in particular subscribed to by at least one client controller (11.2), - querying the validity period of the service and calculating the remaining time until the validity period of the service expires on the client controller (11.2) that has subscribed to the service, - taking the remaining time into account when allocating (140) the service items to one or more service item messages (17) and / or giving priority to at least one service item message (17) with respect to the time-dependent transmission of the service item messages (17) according to the remaining time.

5. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least: - determining a subscription forecast for at least one service available on a server controller (11.1), wherein the subscription forecast characterizes the number of client controllers (11.2) that are potentially likely to subscribe to said service, - determining a load forecast based on the booking forecast, wherein the load forecast characterizes the additional load on the server controller (11.1) due to processing a certain number of booking confirmations (18) according to the booking forecast, - taking into account the load forecast when allocating (140) the services to one or more service message (17) and / or giving priority to at least one service message (17) in terms of the time of transmission of the service message (17) according to the load forecast.

6. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The determination (120) of the transmission time information includes at least one of the following: - determining the data transmission rate of the network (12), determining the number of participants in the network (12), and calculating the earliest and / or latest start time of the next transmission time slot of the server controller (11.1) based on the data rate and the number of participants.

7. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least: - determining a transmission time prediction related to at least one service item message (17), wherein the transmission time prediction characterizes a round trip time of the service item message (17).

8. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The determination (130) of load information includes at least one of the following: - determining the load of at least one working memory (14) of the server controller (11.1), - determining the load of at least one computing unit (15) of the server controller (11.1), in particular the load of at least one processor of the server controller, - determining the load of at least one, in particular non-volatile, data memory (16) of the server controller (11.1).

9. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Additionally includes: - determining a data volume forecast for the service item, taking the data volume forecast into account when allocating (140) the service item to one or more service item messages.

10. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The network (12) is designed as Ethernet, in particular 10 Mbit / s Ethernet, and in particular the communication in the network (12) is carried out in multipoint mode.

11. A control system (10) for a vehicle (50), the control system comprising at least two controllers (11), wherein: The controllers (11) are at least temporarily in a communication connection, in particular a bidirectional communication connection, via a network (12) for data transmission, at least one controller (11) being configured as a server controller (11.1) and at least one controller (11) being configured as a client controller (11.2), and the control system (10) is operated according to the method (100) according to any of the above claims.

12. A vehicle (50) comprising at least one control system (10) according to claim 11.

13. A computer program product comprising commands causing a control system (10) according to claim 11 to execute a method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the computer program product according to claim 13.

15. A data bearing signal transmitting a computer program product according to claim 13.

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