Method and communication control device for data transmission in a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for transmitting data packets provided by at least one stationary data transmission device (2) via at least one channel (10) in a vehicle (1), in which the data packets are received by a communication control device (100) using a communication module (120) designed for reception via the at least one channel (10), temporarily stored in a memory (140), an allowable transmission latency is determined for each data packet, and the data packets are transmitted to at least one other component (200, 300) of the vehicle (1) in ascending order of the allowable transmission latency via at least one data transmission section (201, 202) having a transmission rate lower than the maximum transmission rate of the at least one channel (10). The present invention also relates to a communication control device (100) for implementing such a method, as well as to an arrangement of components in the vehicle (1) equipped with at least one such communication control device (100).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for transmitting data packets in a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a communication control device for a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 4. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an arrangement of components in a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 6. [Background technology]

[0002] Fixed data transmission devices are known, installed, for example, along traffic routes, for various channels for transmitting data, for example, via very high frequency (VHF), microwave, or infrared. These data transmission devices can be used to transmit data packets to moving vehicles and / or to receive data packets transmitted by these vehicles. Such data packets can contain, for example, information about the availability of traffic routes, traffic flow, traffic disruptions, or possible road charges (tolls), which may be limited depending on the vehicle's weight, type, height, or similar parameters.

[0003] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a distributed data exchange system for vehicles having a local, stationary temporary storage memory for temporarily storing data. The distributed data exchange system further comprises a transmitter in a first vehicle for transmitting the temporarily stored data to the stationary local temporary storage memory via a first short-range interface, a receiver in a second vehicle for receiving the temporarily stored data from the stationary local temporary storage memory via a second short-range interface via the stationary local temporary storage memory, and a processor connected to the stationary storage memory. The processor is designed to process the data transmitted to the stationary storage memory, generate environment model data, write the environment model data to the stationary storage memory, and transmit the environment model data to the second vehicle.

[0004] The publication US 2007 / 0129994 describes an apparatus for controlling access to a wireless communication network using time division multiplexing. The apparatus includes a time slice allocation module designed to allocate time slices for data transmission from a first node to a second node, and a validation module designed to validate data packets before transmission from the first node to the second node based on a latency requirement for the data packets and on the expected latency of the data packets depending on the time instant of the associated time slice. The validation module is provided to distinguish between data packets to be transmitted and data packets that should not be transmitted. The apparatus further includes a time control module designed to classify data packets to be transmitted into time slices intended for transmission from the first node to the second node.

[0005] Data received via data transmission devices and / or from installed temporary storage memories in moving vehicles are subject to very different requirements regarding the maximum tolerable latency (i.e., delay before processing and / or display in the respective vehicle). Some information, e.g., general information about road conditions or traffic congestion over a short distance, is not very or not at all time-critical. Other information, e.g., warning notifications about catastrophic events such as tsunamis or earthquakes, and payment requirements related to road usage (toll) payments, needs to be processed and / or displayed immediately or within a very short period of time.

[0006] In many cases, the volume of such data packets is small, typically between 10 and 100 kilobytes, but the channel for transmitting data between the stationary data transmission device and the vehicle must have a transmission rate that guarantees complete reception of all user data, as well as metadata and backup data required to comply with the transmission protocol, within a time window that may be significantly limited by the maximum vehicle speed and the minimum reach of the data transmission device.

[0007] The resulting required transmission speeds of such channels are typically much higher than the bandwidth or transmission speeds intended for data transmission between components within a vehicle, often by an order of magnitude or more.

[0008] Therefore, it has been necessary to provide a communication control device designed for receiving data via such a channel with a special data transmission interface (hereinafter also referred to as a gateway) that realizes a data transmission rate higher than that normally expected in a vehicle. On the other hand, such a special gateway must be provided not only for the communication control device but also for other components that must process and / or display data received via such a channel, which increases manufacturing costs.

[0009] Furthermore, data transmission sections using higher bandwidths are more sensitive to disturbances, especially disturbances due to electromagnetic interference, and therefore place higher demands on the wiring and installation of the cables. Therefore, what is needed is a method for distributing data packets received over a high-speed channel within a vehicle over data transmission sections having a transmission speed much slower than that of the high-speed channel, without thereby compromising the requirements imposed on the maximum tolerable latency in the transport of such data packets. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] DE102018221933A1 [Patent Document 2] WO2021 / 043841A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The problem on which the invention is based is to provide an improved method for transmitting data packets in a vehicle. This problem is solved according to the invention by a method with the features of claim 1.

[0012] Furthermore, the problem on which the invention is based is to provide an improved communication control device for a vehicle. This problem is solved according to the invention by a communication control device with the features of claim 4.

[0013] A further problem on which the invention is based is to provide an improved arrangement of components in a vehicle, which problem is solved according to the invention by an arrangement with the features of claim 6.

[0014] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] Thus, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting data packets in a vehicle, the data packets being provided via at least one channel from at least one stationary data transmission device, in which the data packets are received by a communication control device of the vehicle using a communication module designed for reception via the at least one channel and are temporarily stored in a memory, in one embodiment, during temporary storage, a timestamp representing the time of reception by the communication module is assigned to the data packets.

[0016] For each data packet, an allowable delivery latency is determined, which represents the time interval within which the data packet must be processed and / or displayed in the vehicle after receipt of the data packet by the communication module.

[0017] For example, a data packet indicating a traffic jam far away from the vehicle is associated with a relatively long delivery wait time, whereas a data packet indicating a toll that must be paid for traveling on a toll road is associated with a relatively short delivery wait time, and similarly, a data packet indicating a warning notification of a tsunami, earthquake, or levee fire along the road section immediately ahead is also associated with a relatively short delivery wait time.

[0018] The data packets are transmitted in a predetermined order to at least one other component of the vehicle via at least one data transmission section that is designed to exchange data with the communication control device and has a transmission rate that is slower than the maximum transmission rate of at least one channel for receiving data from at least one installed data transmission device.

[0019] The order of transmission of the data packets is determined so as to respect the allowable delivery latency of each data packet.

[0020] For example, the latest possible permissible delivery time for the data packet is determined from the time stamp of the reception of the data packet by the communication module using the delivery latency time, i.e., the time at which the data packet must be transmitted to at least one other component via the data transmission section. This allows all buffered data packets to be sorted according to their latest possible permissible delivery time, starting with the data packets with the earliest (i.e., closest) permissible delivery time, and then transmitted in the order of this list. In this way, if the transmission speed of the data transmission section is sufficient, the timely delivery of all data packets can be guaranteed.

[0021] In other words, data packets received by the communication control device are temporarily stored, and priorities are determined for transfer over the data transmission section so that data packets that require urgent transport are given a high priority and data packets that do not require urgent transport are given a low priority.

[0022] In this way, data received from a channel within a transmission time window limited by the minimum reach of the stationary data transmission equipment and the maximum speed of the vehicle can be distributed to different components in the vehicle over a relatively long period of time without losing data packets or violating delivery latency requirements.

[0023] This allows the use of inexpensive gateways with lower transmission rates than are possible according to the prior art for at least one data transmission section within the vehicle, and in particular the need for special, specialized gateways designed for particularly high transmission rates, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces or Controller Area Network Flexible Data Rate (CAN-FD) gateways, can be omitted.

[0024] Furthermore, a higher interference immunity of the at least one data transmission section is achieved, and the requirements for cabling and for the implementation of such a data transmission section in a vehicle can be relaxed.

[0025] In one embodiment of the method, data transmitted by the communication control device over at least one data transmission section at a transmission rate lower than the maximum transmission rate of at least one channel at least partially includes toll payment information.

[0026] Data packets containing such toll payment information are associated with a low transmission latency and a corresponding high priority for transmission to at least one other component in the vehicle, thereby ensuring a suitable display and / or processing of the data, thereby ensuring proper handling of the toll payment process despite the relatively limited transmission speed (relative to the channel) of the communication control device.

[0027] In another embodiment of the method, the data transmitted by the communication control device over at least one data transmission section at a transmission rate lower than the maximum transmission rate of at least one channel includes, at least in part, an emergency alert notification.

[0028] Data packets containing such urgent alarm notifications are associated with a short transmission latency and a corresponding high priority for transmission to at least one other component in the vehicle, thereby ensuring that the alarm notifications are appropriately and reliably communicated to vehicle occupants despite the relatively limited transmission speed (relative to the channel) of the communication control device.

[0029] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a communication control device for a vehicle includes a communication module with a transceiver designed to receive data packets from a stationary data transmission device via at least one channel. According to the present invention, the communication control device further includes a memory for temporarily storing data packets, a calculation unit, and at least one gateway designed to be connected to a respective data transmission section having a transmission rate lower than the maximum transmission rate of the at least one channel, the communication control device being designed to implement the method for transmitting data packets in a vehicle as described according to the first aspect of the present invention. In particular, the communication control device is designed to assign priorities, and the memory is designed to temporarily store data packets received via the channel.

[0030] By selecting a transmission rate of at least one gateway lower than the transmission rate of the channel, a simpler and less susceptible assembly can be used for the construction of such a communication control device according to the invention, and gateways that are widely used in automobile manufacturing and are inexpensive to obtain. Further advantages of the communication control device according to the invention correspond to the advantages of the method according to the invention for transmitting data packets in a vehicle.

[0031] In one embodiment, at least one gateway is designed as a Controller Area Network (CAN) gateway having a transmission rate lower than the maximum transmission rate of at least one channel. This type of CAN gateway is particularly widespread in automotive manufacturing and is inexpensive.

[0032] According to a third aspect of the invention, an arrangement of components, which may be configured, for example, as a control device, as an infotainment component or as a display and operating device, comprises at least one component configured as a communication control device according to the second aspect of the invention and designed to receive data packets from a stationary data transmission device via at least one channel and connected to at least one further component via a data transmission section having a transmission speed lower than the maximum transmission speed of the at least one channel.

[0033] The advantages of such an arrangement correspond to the advantages of the method for transmitting data packets in a vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention and the advantages of the communication control device according to the second aspect of the present invention.

[0034] In one embodiment, at least one further component connected to the communication control device is configured as an infotainment main unit and is designed to determine the vehicle's route.

[0035] The present invention is based on the recognition that such an infotainment main unit, in its typical operating mode, receives urgent data packets with short delivery latency, such as warning notifications about natural disasters or toll payment information, only occasionally, whereas it receives data packets with long delivery latency and that are less or not time-critical relatively frequently, but at still sufficiently long time intervals.

[0036] The method according to the invention can stabilize bursty data transmission at high data transmission rates on a channel by prioritizing data packets according to their maximum allowable transmission latency and temporarily storing the data packets in memory until they are transmitted over at least one data transmission section. This allows data transmission at significantly lower data transmission rates without compromising the security or reliability of the infotainment main unit. Further advantages of such an embodiment correspond to those of the method for transmitting data packets in a vehicle according to the first aspect of the invention and to those of the communication control device according to the second aspect of the invention.

[0037] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a stationary data transmission device and a vehicle equipped with a communication control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate corresponding parts.

[0040] 1 shows a schematic representation of a moving vehicle 1 and a stationary data transmission device 2. The vehicle 1 comprises a communication control device 100, an infotainment main unit 200 and further electrical and / or electronic components which are only schematically grouped together in a vehicle electronics device 300 in FIG. 1. The infotainment main unit 200, also referred to below as head unit 200, is connected to the communication control device 100 or to the vehicle electronics device 300 by data transmission paths 201, 202, each of which is designed bidirectionally for the exchange of data and / or control instructions.

[0041] The vehicle 1 and the data transmission device 2 are designed to exchange data via a channel 10 .

[0042] The channel 10 can be configured, for example, as a unidirectional frequency-modulated channel 10, via which data packets are sent from a data transmission device 2, configured inter alia as a ground transmitting station, and thereby provided in the form of a broadcast for reception by a number of vehicles 1. Via such a frequency-modulated channel 10, data packets of up to 50 kilobytes can be transmitted at a data transmission rate of approximately 16 kilobits per second, at typical carrier frequencies of 76 MHz to 90 MHz, over a typical radius of approximately 10 to 50 kilometers.

[0043] In another embodiment, channel 10 may be configured as a microwave channel 10, in which data packets of up to 25 kilobytes are transmitted over a carrier frequency of typically 5.8 GHz at a data rate of approximately 4 megabits per second. In such an embodiment, data transmission station 2 is configured as a fixed microwave beacon having a typical range of up to 20 meters, and is typically installed along busy transportation routes such as highways and main roads.

[0044] In another embodiment, the channel 10 can be configured as an infrared channel 10, in which case data packets of up to 10 kilobytes are transmitted via an optical connection between the vehicle 1 and the data transmission device 2 configured as an infrared beacon. This type of infrared beacon typically has a range of up to 3.5 meters, is designed for data transmission rates of up to 1 megabit per second from the infrared beacon to the vehicle 1 (downlink) and up to 64 kilobits per second from the vehicle 1 to the infrared beacon (uplink), and is installed along traffic routes with normal or low volume traffic.

[0045] For simplicity, only one channel 10 is shown in FIG. 1, but a vehicle 1 is typically equipped with various installed data transmission devices 2 for data exchange, and data exchange can be carried out via multiple channels 10 with various configurations.

[0046] An infotainment main unit or head unit 200 located in the vehicle processes the data transmitted over channel 10 and / or provides such data for transmission.

[0047] For example, the head unit 200 is designed in particular for routing, i.e., for calculating a driving route for the vehicle 1 based on position data and map data. For such routing, traffic data provided via at least one channel 10 can be taken into account. The traffic data can include information about traffic flow and / or traffic guidance, for example, information about current closures, congestion or other restrictions along traffic routes relevant for routing. The display and processing of traffic data by the head unit 200 is generally not time-critical.

[0048] Additionally, the head unit 200 can display information important to the vehicle occupants, such as warnings about adverse weather or catastrophic conditions along the route, which information is also provided over one or more channels 10 from a stationary data transmission device.

[0049] Furthermore, the head unit 200 can display and / or process important information related to the specific route the vehicle 1 is currently traveling on, such as information regarding tolls that must be paid (i.e., information regarding the amount that must be paid directly to use a certain road section), such as information regarding height restrictions or tonnage restrictions when traveling on ferries, tunnels, bridges or other transportation structures.

[0050] This type of information may likewise be provided, here merely by way of example and by no means exhaustive, via the installed data transmission device 2. Such information may require an immediate response by the head unit 200 or other components of the vehicle electronics 300 and / or by vehicle occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0051] The present invention is therefore based on the recognition that different data received by vehicle 1 via one or more channels 10 need to be processed with different time urgency or priority. Some of this data is associated with strict real-time requirements, i.e., must be processed and / or presented to vehicle occupants within a predetermined period or acceptable delivery latency calculated from receipt by vehicle 1. Other data is associated with looser real-time requirements, i.e., must be processed and / or displayed within a predetermined time on statistical average, which may, however, be exceeded in very rare individual cases. Other data can be processed and / or displayed without any special time requirements.

[0052] From this realization, the present invention has derived the problem of configuring the transmission, storage and processing of such data in the vehicle 1 received via one or more channels 10 in such a way that with very little technical effort all time requirements are met and no data is lost.

[0053] In this regard, for data exchange via at least one channel 10, the communication control device 100 is provided with a communication module 120 having at least one transceiver 121. That is, for example, a first transceiver 121 can be designed as a very high frequency receiver for receiving data via the frequency modulated channel 10, a second transceiver 121 can be designed as a microwave receiver for receiving data via the microwave channel 10, and a third transceiver 121 can be designed as a bidirectional infrared transceiver for receiving and transmitting data via the infrared channel 10.

[0054] The communication control device 100 further includes a computing unit 130 and a memory 140. The computing unit 130 is connected to the communication module 120 and the memory 140 such that data can be transmitted between the computing unit 130 and the communication module 120 and data can be stored in and / or read from the memory 140.

[0055] In the illustrated embodiment, the memory 140 is configured as a separate component, e.g., a separate memory module, from the computing unit 130. This makes it easy to manufacture various configurations of the communication control device 100, which meet different requirements by having different configurations of the memory 140, e.g., different memory capacities and / or transfer speeds.

[0056] However, memory 140 may alternatively be configured as an integral part of computing unit 130. This may allow, for example, higher transfer rates for reading and writing data in memory 140 to be achieved.

[0057] The data received by the communication module 120 via the channel 10 are transmitted to the calculation unit 130. According to the invention, the calculation unit 130 is preferably designed to determine, by means of a calculation program implemented in the calculation unit 130, the maximum allowable transmission latency of the received data of that type (and therefore also the priority for transmission to the other components 200, 300 in the vehicle 1). In other words, the calculation unit 130 sorts the data in the order in which they should be transmitted to the head unit 200, and in such a way that the time requirements for displaying and / or processing all of the data are met.

[0058] Data that does not need to be transmitted immediately (i.e., at a high priority) to head unit 200 is buffered in memory 140 and is read from memory 140 and transmitted only when the transmission of higher priority data is complete. After the data is transmitted, it can again be erased from memory 140 to make space for subsequent buffered data.

[0059] In this way, compliance with all time requirements associated with the data of channel 10 can be maintained even if the data transmission section 201 between the communication control device 100 and the head unit 200 has only a slow transfer rate. In particular, this data transmission section 201 may have a transfer rate that is much slower than that required to transmit all data received from channel 10 in the order of receipt by the communication module 120 (i.e., without sorting and storing the data according to time priority).

[0060] In other words, the data transmitted by the data transmission device 2 is transmitted in bursts at a high transmission rate, but with small packet sizes, and for a sufficient time (with respect to the burst duration or effective occupancy time of the channel 10), buffered in the memory 140 of the communication control device 100, and prioritized according to its latency requirements before being transmitted to the head unit 200, thereby relaxing the performance requirements for the data transmission section 201.

[0061] In one embodiment, the data transmission section 201 between the head unit 200 and the communication control device 100 is formed by interconnected, simple, and inexpensive controller area network (CAN) gateways 210, 110. Advantageously, this eliminates the need to use a gateway with a higher transmission speed, such as a CAN Flexible Data Rate (CAN-FD) gateway. Similarly, it also eliminates the need to provide an additional or alternative interface, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, between the communication control device 100 and the head unit 200. This allows both the communication control device 100 and the head unit 200 to be designed more simply and inexpensively. Furthermore, the configuration and implementation of the cable or cable set for connecting the communication control device 100 and the head unit 200 can be simplified. Furthermore, this simplified configuration reduces the risk of failure of the data transmission section 201.

[0062] Similarly, the performance requirements on the components of the vehicle electronics 300 can be relaxed with regard to the further transmission of data originally received from channel 10 and transmitted to the head unit 200. Thus, the data transmission section 202 between the vehicle electronics 300 and the head unit 200 can also be formed by inexpensive and simple CAN gateways 310, 220. Here again, a relatively complex, expensive and fault-prone CAN-FD gateway or USB interface can be omitted.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data packets, said data packets being provided in a vehicle (1) by at least one stationary data transmission device (2) via at least one channel (10), comprising: The data packets are received by a communication control device (100) using a communication module (120) designed to receive via the at least one channel (10) and are temporarily stored in a memory (140); an allowable transmission latency is determined for each data packet, and the data packets are transmitted in a predetermined order to at least one further component (200, 300) of the vehicle (1) via at least one data transmission section (201, 202) having a transmission rate lower than a maximum transmission rate of the at least one channel (10); The method, wherein the order of transmission of the data packets is determined such that the tolerable delivery latency of each data packet is respected.

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the data transmitted over said at least one transmission section (201, 202) at least partly comprises toll payment information.

3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the data transmitted over said at least one transmission section (201, 202) at least partly comprises an emergency alarm notification.

4. A communication control device (100) for a vehicle (1), comprising a communication module (120) with a transceiver (121) designed to receive data packets from a stationary data transmission device (2) via at least one channel (10), said communication control device (100): The communication control device (100) comprises a memory (140) for temporarily storing data packets, a calculation unit (130), and at least one gateway (110) for connecting to each data transmission section (201) having a transmission speed lower than the maximum transmission speed of at least one channel (10), characterized in that the communication control device (100) is designed to implement the method described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. 5. The communication control device (100) of claim 4, wherein the at least one gateway (110) is configured as a controller area network (CAN) gateway having a transmission speed slower than the maximum transmission speed of the at least one channel (10).

6. The arrangement of components (100, 200, 300) in a vehicle (1) 6. The arrangement, characterized in that at least one component (100, 200, 300) is configured as a communication control device (100) according to claim 4 or 5 for receiving data packets from a stationary data transmission device (2) via at least one channel (10), and is connected to at least one other component (200, 300) via a data transmission section (201, 202) having a transmission speed lower than the maximum transmission speed of the at least one channel (10).

7. 7. The arrangement according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one component (100, 200, 300) is configured as an infotainment main unit (200) and is designed to determine the driving route of the vehicle (1).

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