Integrating Optical Data Communication with Other Sensing Functionalities in Vehicles

Abstract

1. A system for use on a vehicle, the system including: an electronic controller; a sensor device; an optical wireless transmitting device; a cable infrastructure having a first end connected to the electronic controller; and an interface connected between a second end of the cable infrastructure and the sensor device and the optical wireless transmitting device, the interface operable to select, on a time-shared basis, between i) using the cable infrastructure for a first function of forwarding upstream data sensed by the sensor device to the electronic controller, and ii) using the cable infrastructure for a second function of forwarding downstream data from the electronic controller to the optical wireless transmitting device to be optically transmitted from the optical wireless transmitting device, the interface configured to make the selection dependent on a motional state of the vehicle.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to incorporating optical data communication into digital vehicles having one or more data sensing capabilities. [Background technology]

[0002] Modern digital vehicles use an increasing number of electronic devices for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, or sensing of the vehicle's surroundings. Most devices and functionalities in the vehicle are connected to a networking infrastructure embedded within the vehicle. Such an infrastructure may use, for example, Automotive Ethernet or A-PHY as a physical layer protocol.

[0003] Automotive Ethernet enables high-speed data communication to meet the bandwidth requirements of today's vehicles and future connected vehicles. The term "Automotive Ethernet" can be used to refer to an Ethernet-based network for in-vehicle electrical systems. A-PHY is a new automotive standard, IEEE 2977-2021, approved and published in mid-2021. This is the IEEE adoption of the MIPI Alliance specification for the A-PHY interface. A-PHY is described as a long-distance SerDes physical layer interface with a maximum distance of 15 m, compared to D-PHY and C-PHY, which are limited to a length of 15 cm. This specification eliminates the need for an additional PHY bridge to support long-distance SerDes for CSI-2 (MIPI camera protocol). Initial chipsets are currently available, for example, from Valens Semiconductor.

[0004] The inclusion of LiFi in vehicles has also been recently proposed. Potential LiFi use cases in vehicle-based applications include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication for cooperative adaptive cruise control, platooning, or other cooperative driving applications.

[0005] Another use case for V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure) communication is data offloading, which may be required for automated guided vehicles (AGVs), for example. AGVs collect large amounts of data while traveling, which must be transferred when they return to a charging station or parking location. The time for data offloading can be very limited and should preferably not take longer than the charging process itself to ensure 24 / 7 operation of public transport vehicles, such as taxis or delivery vehicles. Therefore, a high-speed data download link is beneficial.

[0006] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 11-355212 relates to an optical beacon transmitting / receiving device mounted on a vehicle and used for communicating with a VICS (Vehicle Information Systems) optical beacon roadside device installed on the road. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, modern digital vehicles are not yet equipped with LiFi interfaces. The challenge remains how LiFi or other such optical (i.e., light-based) data communication technologies can be efficiently integrated with other infrastructure in the vehicle, such as in-vehicle Ethernet or A-PHY cable infrastructure, which may be used for other sensing functionality (e.g., camera, radar, or radio-based data communication).

[0008] It is recognized herein that the relative use of optical communications and sensing is likely to depend on the vehicle's motion state. Based on this, it is possible to simplify the amount of physical infrastructure required to incorporate optical (light-based) data communications into a vehicle by sharing the cabling infrastructure used for existing sensing operations on a time-shared basis. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Thus, according to a first aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a system for use on board a vehicle, the system including: an electronic controller; a sensor device; an optical wireless transmitting device; a cable infrastructure having a first end connected to the electronic controller; and an interface connected between a second end of the cable infrastructure and the sensor device and the optical wireless transmitting device, the interface being operable to select, on a time-shared basis, between i) using the cable infrastructure for a first function of forwarding incoming data sensed by the sensor device to the electronic controller, and ii) using the cable infrastructure for a second function of forwarding outgoing data from the electronic controller to the optical wireless transmitting device to be optically transmitted from the optical wireless transmitting device, the interface being configured to make the selection dependent on a state of motion of the vehicle, When the vehicle is stationary, the cable infrastructure is used for the second function but not for the first function; and / or When the vehicle is in motion, the cable infrastructure is used for the first function but not for the second function; The device is configured to include:

[0010] The optical transmitting device may use visible light, infrared light, or ultraviolet light for optical transmission. In some embodiments, the optical transmitting device uses visible light communication. For example, the optical transmitting device may be a LiFi transmitter. The optical transmitting device may be configured to use G.vlc or OOK (On-Off Keying) as a physical layer for optical transmission of downstream data. In some embodiments, the optical transmitting device is included in an optical transceiver, such as a LiFi transceiver. In this case, the second function may also include forwarding the optically received data to the electronic controller.

[0011] The sensor device may be a wireless sensing device, such as an optical, radio, or infrared sensing device. In the case of an optical sensing device, it may include, for example, a camera, a LiDAR sensor, or a LiFi data receiver. In the case where the sensor device includes a LiFi receiver, this means that the first function includes forwarding optically received data to an electronic controller.

[0012] The cable infrastructure may include Automotive Ethernet, A-PHY infrastructure, or other physical layer technologies suitable for cable-based communications. The cable infrastructure may include a single cable including one or more wires, or a network of cables. In some cases, the cable infrastructure may include a network of cables that use a combination of technologies, such as Automotive Ethernet and A-PHY, in different parts of the network.

[0013] The vehicle can be any type of vehicle, such as a road vehicle (e.g., a car or truck), a rail vehicle, a water vehicle (e.g., a boat or submarine), or an air vehicle (e.g., an airplane or helicopter).

[0014] Preferably, the cable infrastructure is used for the first function (sensing) more times when the vehicle is moving at a higher speed compared to when it is moving at a lower speed, for example the cable infrastructure may be used for the first function more times when the vehicle is moving compared to when it is stationary (zero speed).

[0015] For example, in one embodiment, the interface is configured such that making a selection dependent on the motion state of the vehicle (22) includes using the cable infrastructure (8) for the second function but not for the first function when the vehicle is stationary, and / or using the cable infrastructure for the first function but not for the second function when the vehicle is moving.

[0016] For example, the cable infrastructure and optical transmitters may be used to offload data to a base station only when the vehicle is stationary, and / or the cable infrastructure and sensing devices may be used to sense data around the vehicle or from the vehicle itself when the vehicle is moving.

[0017] In one embodiment, the interface may be configured to use the cable infrastructure for a first function (sensing) only when the vehicle is moving, and to use the cable infrastructure for a second function (optical transmission) only when the vehicle is stationary.

[0018] In an alternative embodiment, the interface is configured such that making a selection dependent on the vehicle's motion state includes using the cable infrastructure for both the first function and the second function on a time-shared basis when the vehicle is moving, but adapting the time spent being used for the first function relative to the second function depending on the speed of the vehicle.

[0019] For example, when a vehicle is moving at high speed, the cable infrastructure may be used for a first function (sensing upstream data) more often than for a second function (transferring data to an optical transmitter for optical transmission), and when the vehicle is moving at low speed, the cable infrastructure may be used for the first function less often than for the second function. For example, at high speeds, it may be more important to devote more of the cable infrastructure to the sensing function and / or it may be less practical to establish a stable optical (e.g., LiFi) link.

[0020] A combination of approaches is also possible, where the cable infrastructure may be used only for the second function when the vehicle is stationary, but shared on a time-shared basis between the first and second functions when the vehicle is moving, or vice versa, where the cable infrastructure may be used only for the first function when the vehicle is moving, and shared between the first and second functions when the vehicle is stationary.

[0021] In one embodiment, the cable infrastructure is configured to transfer downstream data from the electronic controller (2) to the optical wireless transmission device using the same baseband modulation used for optical transmission of the downstream data by the optical wireless transmission device.

[0022] By using the same baseband for cable infrastructure and optical communications, this further advantageously simplifies the amount of additional infrastructure required to incorporate optical data communications into vehicles.

[0023] In some embodiments, the cable infrastructure may be configured to provide symmetric data transfer rates for the first function and the second function. Alternatively, the cable infrastructure may be configured to provide asymmetric data transfer rates for the second function compared to the first function.

[0024] According to another aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a vehicle (e.g., a road vehicle, a rail vehicle, an air vehicle, or a water vehicle) incorporating a system according to any embodiment disclosed herein.

[0025] According to another aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a method of operating a system on a vehicle, the method including steps corresponding to the operation of the system of any of the embodiments disclosed herein. According to another aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a computer program embodied in non-transitory computer-readable storage, the program including code configured to operate, on one or more processors, the system of any of the embodiments disclosed herein. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] To assist in understanding embodiments of the present disclosure and to show how such embodiments may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a system according to embodiments disclosed herein. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary link between a LiFi off-road station according to embodiments disclosed herein and a modern digital vehicle, where the LiFi interface is located in the driver side mirror. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another example of a link between a LiFi off-load station according to embodiments disclosed herein and a modern digital vehicle, where the LiFi interface is integrated into the floor of the vehicle. [Figure 5a]FIG. 5a is a schematic circuit diagram of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on G.vlc for use with in-vehicle Ethernet, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 5b] FIG. 5b is a schematic circuit diagram of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on G.vlc next generation for use with in-vehicle Ethernet, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic circuit diagram of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on OOK (On-Off Keying) for use with in-vehicle Ethernet, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on G.vlc for use with A-PHY, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on OOK with SGMII (Serial Gigabit Media-Independent Interface) for use with A-PHY, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on OOK with a switch for use with A-PHY, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on OOK with a 2 / 4 hybrid wire converter for use with A-PHY, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a symmetric configuration according to the A-PHY specification v1.1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The present disclosure provides optical-based (e.g., LiFi-based) data offload systems and methods for modern digital vehicles. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the integration of optical (e.g., LiFi) interfaces into in-vehicle cable infrastructure, such as an Ethernet bus.

[0028] The in-vehicle cable infrastructure is configured to perform two functions on a time-sharing basis: data collection from on-board sensors (e.g., cameras) and data offloading via optical wireless communication (OWC), with time scheduling dependent on the vehicle's state (moving or stationary).

[0029] 1 illustrates a system 1 according to the present disclosure suitable for incorporation into a vehicle 22 (examples of the vehicle 22 are shown in FIGS. 3-4). The vehicle 22 may be a passenger vehicle or an unmanned vehicle. The vehicle 22 may take the form of a road vehicle, such as a car or truck, or a locomotive or train, or a water vehicle, such as a boat, ship, or submarine, or an air vehicle, such as an aircraft or helicopter. The vehicle 22 may be a manually controlled vehicle, or an autonomous vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle capable of either manual or autonomous operation.

[0030] System 1 includes a vehicle electronic controller 2. Controller 2 may take the form of a subsystem including, for example, a central communications node (CCN), or a domain electronic control unit (ECU), or a combination of these and / or other electronic units. Controller 2 may be implemented in the form of dedicated, fixed-function hardware, or a combination of one or more processors and memory storing code executing on the one or more processors, or a combination of software and dedicated hardware.

[0031] System 1 further includes one or more sensing devices 4 , one or more optical (ie, light-based) transmitting devices 5 , an interface 6 , and a cable infrastructure 8 .

[0032] The controller 2 is connected to the interface 6 by a cable infrastructure 8. That is, a first end of at least one cable of the cable infrastructure 8 is connected to the controller 2 and a second end of the cable is connected to the interface 6. The cable infrastructure 8 may include a single cable or a network of cables. In some embodiments, the cable infrastructure 8 may include a network in which other cables connect the controller 2 to other components 14 in the vehicle (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2 ). Each cable may include one or more wires, e.g., pairs of wires. The cable infrastructure 8 may be configured to use, for example, Automotive Ethernet or A-PHY as a physical layer protocol. According to the present disclosure, at least a portion of the cable infrastructure 8 connecting the interface 6 and the controller 2 includes at least one cable arranged to operate on a time-division multiplexed (e.g., half-duplex) basis between the controller 2 and the interface 6. That is, it is used to transmit different data at different times (and in some embodiments, only in one direction at any given time). In some embodiments, the portion of the cable infrastructure 8 between the controller 2 and the interface 6 is only capable of half-duplex communication. In one embodiment, only a single cable 8 is provided between the controller 2 and the interface 6 and is used on a time-shared basis.

[0033] The interface 6 includes a switch and associated local control logic operable to connect the controller 2 to the optical transmitter 5 or at least one of the one or more sensor devices 4 via the cable infrastructure 8. That is, the interface selectively couples the second end of at least one time division multiplexed (e.g., half-duplex) cable of the cable infrastructure 8 to i) at least one of the one or more sensing devices 4, or ii) at least one of the one or more optical transmitting devices 5. The logic of the interface 6 may be implemented in dedicated hardware circuitry, or one or more appropriately programmed processors, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0034] When connected to an optical transmitter 5, the controller 2 may send downstream data via the cable infrastructure 8 to the optical transmitting device 5, from which the data is transmitted in optical form to a receiving device inside or outside the vehicle 22. For example, the receiving device (e.g., element 15 in FIG. 3 or element 26 in FIG. 4) may be included in a base station that offloads data, such as data collected while the vehicle is traveling (or moving). In some cases, the base station may upload the data to one or more servers, for example, via the Internet (to the "cloud").

[0035] The optical transmitter 5 includes light-emitting elements, such as one or more LEDs (light-emitting diodes), lasers, or filament bulbs, and any associated driver circuitry. The optical transmission means employed by the optical transmitting device 5 may include visible light-based, infrared, or ultraviolet communication media. In some embodiments, visible light is used. For example, the LiFi protocol may be used. Physical layer protocols for LiFi or other light-based communications may include, for example, G.vlc or on-off keying (OOK). In some embodiments, the optical transmitting device 5 may actually take the form of an optical transceiver, such as a LiFi transceiver, capable of both transmitting and receiving optical data.

[0036] The one or more sensing devices 4 may include any one or more sensors, such as a wireless sensor, a light sensor, a temperature sensor, a contact sensor, an accelerometer, a force or torque sensor, etc. The one or more sensing devices 4 may include one or more sensors for sensing an internal state of the vehicle 22, such as cabin temperature, engine temperature, fuel level, or whether a door is open. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more sensing devices 4 may include one or more wireless sensing devices for sensing the exterior of the vehicle 22. Such wireless sensing devices 4 may include, for example, one or more devices for detecting or measuring one or more characteristics of the vehicle's surroundings, such as a distance or ranging sensor, such as a radar or LiDAR sensor. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more wireless sensing devices 4 may include one or more cameras. As another alternative or additional option, the one or more wireless sensing devices 4 may include one or more communication receiving devices, such as a radio receiver. It should therefore be noted that "sensing" as used herein is not limited to simple telemetry or measurement of simple quantities such as distance to an obstacle, and does not exclude imaging or communication.

[0037] The one or more sensing devices 4 may employ any medium suitable for their function. For example, the one or more sensing devices 4 may include one or more visible, infrared, and / or ultraviolet based optical sensing devices (e.g., cameras or Li-Fi receivers), one or more radio-based sensing devices (e.g., radar or wireless communication receivers), one or more thermal sensing devices, and / or one or more sensing devices based on physical contact (e.g., sensing mechanical or electrical contact).

[0038] The controller 2 is configured to control one or more functions of the vehicle 22. These functions may include one or more of: autonomous control of the vehicle; automatic adjustment of one or more subsystems under manual control of the driver (e.g., an ABS subsystem that adjusts manually controlled brakes); and / or output of information (e.g., speed or distance from an obstacle) to the driver or other user via a user interface (e.g., a dashboard screen or a head-up display (HUD)). At least one of these functions relies on data sensed via at least one of the one or more sensor devices 4. For example, video from a camera may be displayed on the user interface, or the ABS (anti-lock braking system) or power steering may be automatically adjusted based on measurements from on-board sensors, or the distance to an obstacle sensed by a distance sensor may be displayed on the UI or played audibly to the driver, or in the case of an autonomous vehicle, the sensed distance may be used to autonomously control the vehicle's motion.

[0039] 2 illustrates an example of a broader system in which system 1 may be incorporated. The system may include a first controller 2_CCN, which may be a central control node (CCN) for a vehicle 22. The system may also include one or more second controllers 2_ECU, 14a-14d, which may be domain ECUs (electronic control units) responsible for respective control domains. In the illustrated example, the domain ECUs include an ADAS (advance driver assistance) domain ECU (2_ECU), a chassis and safety domain ECU 14a, an infotainment domain ECU 14b, a body domain ECU 14c, and a powertrain domain ECU 14d. The ADAS domain ECU, 2_ECU, is arranged to control one or more ADAS-related devices, such as one or more cameras 4i, LiDAR 4ii, and / or radar 4iii, and an optical-based communication device 5, such as Li-Fi data communication. The chassis and safety domain ECU 14a is arranged to control one or more chassis- and / or safety-related devices, such as ABS 16i, ESP (electronic stability program) 16ii, power steering 16iii, brakes, and / or chassis. The infotainment domain ECU 14b is arranged to control one or more information- and / or entertainment-related devices, such as a radio or stereo 18i (including, for example, a digital or FM radio, a CD player, and / or a Bluetooth®-based audio player) and / or a user display 18ii (e.g., a dashboard display or HUD). The body domain ECU 14c is arranged to control one or more body-related devices, such as an air conditioner 20i, a door module 20ii, and / or a seat module 20iii. The powertrain domain ECU is arranged to control one or more powertrain-related devices, such as a battery 21i, an engine 21ii, and / or a transmission 21iii. A system may include any one or more of such domain ECUs.

[0040] A first controller 2_CCN (e.g., a central control node) may be connected to each second controller (e.g., domain ECUs 14a-d, 2_ECU) by a first cable infrastructure 8A. Each second controller (e.g., domain ECU) may be connected to a respective local device by a second cable infrastructure 8B or a third cable infrastructure 8C. The first controller 2_CCN coordinates the operation of the second controller 2_ECU, 14a-d(s) via the first cable infrastructure 8A, and the second controller(s) report to the first controller via the first cable infrastructure 8A. Each second controller 2_ECU, 14a-d is arranged to control and / or receive data from a respective device via the second cable infrastructure 8B or the third cable infrastructure 8C, depending on which one is connected to which. For example, the first cable infrastructure 8A may be an in-vehicle Ethernet infrastructure, the second cable infrastructure 8B may be an A-PHY based infrastructure, and the third cable infrastructure 8C may be a CAN (control area network) or CAN FD (flexible data rate) infrastructure, or another Ethernet infrastructure.

[0041] In such an arrangement, the optical-based communication (e.g., LiFi) device 5 and at least one other sensor device 4i-4iii are connected to a respective second controller of one or more second controllers 2_ECU via a second cable infrastructure 8B.

[0042] In the particular example shown, the camera 4i, radar 4ii, LiDAR 4iii, and LiFi 5 are connected to the ADAS domain ECU 14a via a second cable infrastructure (e.g., A-PHY), the chassis and safety-related devices 16i-iii are connected to the chassis and safety domain ECU 14b via a third cable infrastructure 8C (e.g., CAN), the radio / stereo 18i is connected to the infotainment domain ECU 14c via the third cable infrastructure 8C, the display 18ii is connected to the infotainment domain ECU 14c via the second cable infrastructure 8B, the body-related devices 20i-iii are connected to the body domain ECU 14c via the third cable infrastructure 8C, and the powertrain-related devices 21i-iii are connected to the powertrain domain ECU 14d via the third cable infrastructure 8C.

[0043] In such an example, the controller 2 described in connection with Figure 1 may be considered a local second controller 2_ECU (e.g., an ECU, such as an ADAS domain ECU), and the cable infrastructure 8 described in connection with Figure 1 may be considered a second cable infrastructure 8B. Alternatively, the controller 2 described in connection with Figure 1 may be considered a first controller 2_CCN (e.g., a central control unit, CCN), and the cable infrastructure 8 described in connection with Figure 1 may be considered a network including the first and second cable infrastructures 8A and 8B and associated ECUs. In either case, the interface 6 is between the second cable infrastructure 8B and the sensor devices 4i-iii and the optical-based transmitter device 5.

[0044] Data offloading may be done via (in-vehicle) Ethernet or A-PHY interfaces, and the LiFi interface needs to be connected to either of these technologies depending on the use case and required bit rate. LiFi has a potential role for in-vehicle or external communications. For example, LiFi can be used to replace cellular connections ("3G-5G") during charging stops. 3G-5G and RF-based Wi-Fi connections do not provide the bandwidth required for high-speed data download applications, especially in situations where many cars are parked close to each other in parking lots / charging stations.

[0045] In one embodiment, the in-vehicle communication bus collects data from the sensors 4 in a distributed manner. Assuming that the controller 2 can be either a central communication node (CCN) (as shown in FIG. 1) or a domain ECU (based on the illustration in FIG. 2), there are at least two possibilities for implementing the interface 6. If the controller 2 is a CCN, the interface 6 may be included in the domain ECU. In this case, time-sharing etc. may be controlled directly by the CCN. Alternatively or additionally, if the controller 2 is a domain ECU, the interface 6 may be implemented as part of an optical interface. In this case, control of time-sharing may be managed by the domain ECU based on central commands relayed from the CCN or based on decisions made locally in the domain ECU.

[0046] It should be understood that the particular system of FIG. 2 is merely an example arrangement in an illustrative context.

[0047] Regardless of the particular context in which system 2 is implemented, and referring back to the more general representation of FIG. 1 , interface 6 is arranged to schedule use of cable infrastructure 8 on a time-shared basis, shared between being used to convey upstream data from sensor device(s) 4 to controller 2, on the one hand, and downstream data from controller 2 to optical-based (i.e., optical) transmitter 5, for emanating from transmitter 5 via the optical-based communication technology (e.g., LiFi) employed by transmitter 5, on the other hand. Stated differently, data destined for optical transmitter 5 is time-division multiplexed onto the same cable(s) as data from sensor device(s) 4. In one embodiment, interface 6 may operate communications over at least one cable 8 between controller 2 and sensor and transmitter devices 4, 5 on a half-duplex basis. That is, the cable 8 may be used for communications in only one direction at any one time, either for sensing upstream data or transmitting downstream data, but not both simultaneously. In one embodiment, only a single time division multiplexed (e.g. half duplex) cable 8 is provided between the controller 2 on one side and the sensor device(s) 4 and optical transmitter 5 (via interface 6) on the other side. For example, the cable 8 may include a single wire pair suitable for communication in only one direction at a time.

[0048] In the example shown in FIG. 2 , some devices, such as chassis and safety devices 16i-iii, body devices 20i-iii, and powertrain devices 21i-iii, are in a different domain from optical (i.e., light-based) transmitter 5 and therefore their data are not multiplexed onto the same cable of the same cable infrastructure 8B via interface 6, although in alternative embodiments, one or more of such devices or other devices may be incorporated within the domain of multiplexing interface 6 and have their data multiplexed onto the same cable(s) 8B.

[0049] The optical transmitting device 5 may be co-located with one, several or all of one or more sensors 4 that share the same cable(s) 8 of the cable infrastructure. Alternatively, they need not be co-located, in which case additional wiring is required between one or more of the devices 4, 5 and the interface 6.

[0050] 1 do not necessarily represent a division into separate physical units. Rather, they represent a grouping of different functions for purposes of time scheduling on the cable infrastructure 8. If the system includes an optical data transceiver (e.g., a LiFi transceiver) that includes both an optical data transmitter and an optical data receiver, the optical data receiver may be considered to be included in the sensor(s) 4 or the optical transmitting device 5, depending on how upstream data is scheduled to be transferred over the cable infrastructure 8 to the controller 2.

[0051] 3 illustrates an example in which an optical transmitter device 5 is co-located with at least one sensor device 4 within a vehicle 22, sharing an interface 6 and cabling 8. Here, the sensor devices 4i take the form of cameras, and upstream image data from the cameras 4i to the controller 2 time-share the same cable(s) 8 as downstream data from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter 5. For example, the sensor 4i and the optical transmitter 5 may both be located in a side mirror unit of the vehicle 22. In another example, the optical transmitter device 5 may be co-located with a camera 4i elsewhere within the vehicle, or with a LiDAR device 4ii or a radar device 4iii, and may share the interface 6 and cable(s) 8 with such devices. By way of illustration, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates exemplary sensing fields 12i of several onboard cameras 4i of the vehicle 22, an exemplary sensing field 12ii of the LiDAR device 4ii, and exemplary sensing fields 12iii of the front and rear radar devices 4iii.

[0052] Regardless of its location, data forwarded to the optical transmitter 5 is transmitted within or outside the vehicle using the associated optical-based communication technology (e.g., LiFi employing G.vlc or OOK at the physical layer). A schematic representation of the optical channel is labeled with the numeral 13 in the figure. The data may be transmitted, for example, to a base station 15 or another vehicle (not shown). When transmitting to a base station 15, it may be used to offload data regarding the vehicle's current state or its past performance or driving history from a previous time the vehicle was off-road. Such off-loaded data may be forwarded by the base station 15 to a cloud, for example, for analysis (e.g., diagnostics) or record-keeping. When optical-based data is transmitted to another vehicle, it may be used to exchange data for further purposes of coordinated autonomous driving of two vehicles, such as "platooning" two or more vehicles together. As another example, the optical transmitter device 5 may be used to provide in-vehicle communication, not necessarily for external transmission.

[0053] 4 illustrates another exemplary scenario, where the optical transmitter device 5 is not necessarily co-located with one of the other sensor devices 4 (but still shares an interface 6 and cable 8 for at least part of the route to a controller 2, e.g., located near the sensor on the chassis). Here, the optical transmitter device 5 is located on the underside of the vehicle and is positioned to offload data from the vehicle 22 when the vehicle 22 is parked at a charging station 24, 26, 30. The charging station includes a user-facing unit 24, a power source resonator 30 that charges the vehicle's battery via a corresponding power capture resonator 28 on the underside of the vehicle 22, and an optical receiver device 26 that receives the optical-based data transmission from the optical transmitter device 5. It should be understood that this is just one possible configuration of a charging and data offload station.

[0054] More generally, the optical transmitter 5 may be used for in-vehicle or out-of-vehicle data transmission, such as to a user device within the vehicle 22, to a base station 15 or 24, 26 outside the vehicle, to another vehicle in the vicinity, or to other receiving systems including a suitable optical receiver.

[0055] Regardless of what the data is to be used for, in accordance with the present disclosure, interface 6 is configured to adapt the time sharing of shared cable 8 based on the motion state of vehicle 22. Interface 6 may be configured to do this autonomously or under the control of another component, such as controller 2 or a local controller (not shown) that is connected to interface 6 by wire or wirelessly.

[0056] Preferably, the time-shared cabling 8 (i.e., one or more time-shared cables in that portion of the cable infrastructure 8 between the interface 6 and the controller 2) is used a greater percentage of the time for sensing (to send sensing data from the sensor device 4 to the controller 2) when the vehicle 22 is moving at a high speed compared to when it is moving at a low speed. This means that the shared cabling 8 can be used a greater percentage of the time for optical data transmission (to send data from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5) when the vehicle is moving at a low speed compared to when it is moving at a high speed. Depending on the implementation, the low speed may be zero (stationary) or may be a non-zero speed that is lower than the high speed.

[0057] In one embodiment, the interface 6 is configured to use the shared cabling 8 only for communication in one direction, from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2, when the vehicle 22 is moving, and only for communication in the other direction, from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5, when the vehicle 22 is stationary. This scheme may be employed, for example, so that a vehicle (e.g., a road vehicle) uses the cable infrastructure 8 for sensing functions when moving, but reuses the same cabling infrastructure 8 to offload data via optical communication (e.g., to a base station 15 or 24 / 26) when stationary, such as when parked or at a charging station. For example, the data may include data regarding the vehicle's performance or driving history, or other status information, collected during the period between the previous data offload and when it stopped for the current offload. For example, the data may be transferred from the base station via a network, such as the Internet or a mobile cellular network, to a server ("cloud") including one or more server units, where it may be analyzed and / or logged, for example, to detect performance issues.

[0058] In the above variation, the interface 6 may use the shared cabling 8 only for one-way communication from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2 when the vehicle 22 is moving, and may use the shared cabling 8 on a time-shared basis for communication in both directions, from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2 and from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5, when the vehicle 22 is stationary. Alternatively, the interface 6 may use the shared cabling 8 on a time-shared basis for communication in both directions, from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2 and from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5, when the vehicle 22 is moving, and may use the shared cabling 8 only for one-way communication from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5 when the vehicle 22 is stationary. Or as another alternative, the interface 6 may use the shared cabling 8 on a time-shared basis for both types of communication in both directions, from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2 and from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5, both when the vehicle 22 is moving and when it is stationary, but when the vehicle 22 is moving compared to when it is stationary, the interface 6 may use the shared cabling 8 for transferring upstream sensed data from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2 for a greater proportion of the time than for transferring downstream data from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device. Alternatively, the interface 6 may use the shared cabling 8 on a time-shared basis for both types of communication in both directions, from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2 and from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5, when the vehicle 22 is moving (regardless of what the cabling 8 is used for or whether it is used when stationary), and when the vehicle is moving at high speed, the interface 6 may increase the proportion of time it uses the shared cabling 8 for transferring upstream sensed data from the sensor device(s) 4 to the controller 2 compared to transferring downstream data from the controller 2 to the optical transmitter device 5 when the vehicle is moving at a slow (but non-zero) speed.

[0059] For example, vehicle 22 may be a road vehicle or a rail vehicle. Above a certain speed, optical transmitter 5 may not be used because establishing a connection with a receiving device (e.g., 15 or 26) may not be feasible above that speed. However, as the vehicle slows down, for example, as a road vehicle enters a parking lot or a docking station such as a charging station, or as a rail vehicle enters a train station, vehicle 22 may begin using optical transmitter 5 to establish an optical connection with a receiving device located in the parking lot or station and begin data offloading as the vehicle begins to slow down. During this period, at least some sensing functionality may be required, and thus shared cabling 8 may be used on a time-shared basis both to send upstream data from sensor device(s) 4 to the controller and to send data from controller 2 to optical transmitter device 5 for transmission to the receiving device (e.g., 15 or 26). When the vehicle 22 is stationary, the cabling 8 may continue to be used for data offload and some minimal sensing, possibly with a greater percentage of time allocated to offload than when the vehicle 22 is moving, or the use of the cabling 8 may be dedicated solely to optical data offload.

[0060] As another, alternative, or additional example, when the vehicle is moving, potentially at any speed, or at least below a certain threshold, cabling 8 may be shared between communications in both directions: upstream sensing data and downstream data for optical transmission; however, as the speed of vehicle 22 increases, it may become more important to increase the rate at which sensing data is provided to controller 2, while optical data transmission may be used only for in-vehicle communications to mobile user terminals, e.g., for entertainment purposes. Therefore, as speed increases, interface 6 may increase the percentage of time that shared cabling 8 is used for sensing compared to optical data transmission.

[0061] In another variation, the relative proportions of time allocated to each function may be adapted depending on the type of vehicle movement or its speed relative to another vehicle or other moving object. For example, vehicle 22 may be "platooned," i.e., grouped, with another vehicle using optical-based communication and / or another wireless communication technology to coordinate the movement of the other vehicles. In this case, it may be feasible to establish an optical-based connection with the other vehicle via optical transmitter 5 for the purpose of platooning itself (i.e., coordinating the movement of the two vehicles) or for another, ancillary purpose, such as communication between passengers in different vehicles or sharing analytical data. In this case, cabling 8 may be shared between the sensing function and the optical data transmission function. However, when not platooned (not grouped), optical transmitter 5 may not be used, or may be used only to a lesser extent.

[0062] Note again that boxes 4 and 5 in FIG. 1 , representing a sensor(s) and an optical transmitter, respectively, do not necessarily represent a division into separate physical units. Rather, they represent a grouping of different functions for purposes of time scheduling of their signals over the cable infrastructure 8. For example, in some embodiments, system 1 may include an optical data transceiver, e.g., a LiFi transceiver, capable of transmitting and receiving data in optical form (e.g., based on the LiFi protocol). In some such embodiments, the receive path of the optical data transceiver may be treated as one of sensors 4, meaning that use of the cable infrastructure 8 for receiving data via the optical path is scheduled as a different function of vehicle 22 motion than for optical transmission via optical transmitting device 5. Alternatively, the optical transceiver may be described as an example of an optical transmitting device 5, meaning that use of the cable infrastructure 8 for receiving data via the optical path is scheduled on the same basis as transmission. For example, in the former case, when the vehicle is moving, the cable infrastructure 8 may be used only to receive upstream data from the LiFi receive path and optionally other sensors 4, and when the vehicle is stationary, the cable infrastructure 8 may be used only to send data for optical transmission via the LiFi transmit path 5. Alternatively, when the vehicle is moving, the cable infrastructure 8 may be used only to receive upstream data from other sensors 4, and when the vehicle is stationary, the cable infrastructure 8 may be used to transmit data to and receive data from the LiFi transceiver 5.

[0063] As a further optional feature that may be used in combination with any of the variations described above, the cable infrastructure 8 (at least the relevant portion between the controller 2 and the interface 6) may be arranged to use the same baseband modulation scheme that the optical transmitter device 5 uses for optical (i.e., light-based) communications. This means that the controller 2 is configured to modulate data to a suitable baseband for transmission over the cable infrastructure 8 to the interface 6, and the interface 6 and optical transmitter device 5 do not need to demodulate and re-modulate the signal for transmission over the optical channel 13.

[0064] Some specific exemplary implementations of the above-described concepts will now be disclosed with reference to FIGS. 5a-11.

[0065] To realize such LiFi connectivity between modern digital vehicles and LiFi-based data offload stations, different in-vehicle communication technologies, such as automotive Ethernet and / or A-PHY, may be used. The location of the LiFi interface can be selected based on different requirements, and a specific location is not required. For example, a sensor pod is also a suitable location for installing a LiFi interface. Also, a two-wire in-vehicle cable infrastructure can be used multiple times. For example, for a camera, data may be transmitted only in the DL (downlink) direction (to the domain ECU) and only when the vehicle is moving. On the other hand, data for the LiFi interface may be transmitted in the UL (uplink) direction and only when the vehicle is parked or in a charging position and the LiFi interface communicates with the offload station. This means that the two wires between the domain ECU and the camera or LiFi interface can be used at different times. In such an infrastructure sharing implementation, switches at each end of the two wires are introduced.

[0066] Some embodiments may employ in-vehicle Ethernet. For example, the data source interface for in-vehicle Ethernet at a central communication node (CCN) may be 100BASE-T1, 1000BASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T1, 5GBASE-T1, or 10GBASE-T1. For LiFi connection to a LiFi offload station, the in-vehicle Ethernet signal ("T1" signal) may be adapted for the LiFi channel. Two LiFi technologies may be used: G.vlc and OOK. G.vlc is orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based, has a flexible downlink / uplink ratio, and is point-to-point (P2P) as a special case of point-to-multipoint (P2MP). It uses one or more LEDs as light sources and operates over tens of meters. OOK is P2P, uses a laser as a light source, and operates over tens of centimeters.

[0067] One option is automotive Ethernet with G.vlc. FIG. 5a shows a possible implementation of a LiFi interface for modern digital vehicles based on G.vlc. Subsystem 500 in FIG. 5a forms the G.vlc front-end and is an example implementation of block 5 in FIG. 1. G.vlc front-end 500 is connected to an automotive Ethernet PHY 100 / 1000 / 2.5G infrastructure 504, which may be an implementation of cable infrastructure 8, and is connected to the CCN. G.vlc front-end 500 includes a digital baseband block 508 providing a digital front-end, which is connected to the automotive Ethernet infrastructure 504 via an SGMII port 506. G.vlc front-end 500 also includes a memory 510 coupled to baseband block 508, which may provide code and / or values ​​for operating baseband block 508. The G.vlc front-end further includes an analog front-end (AFE) processor 512 connected to the baseband block 508, an LED 518 connected to the AFE 512 via a current source (driver) 516 and a pulse transformer 514, and a photodiode 526 connected to the AFE via a power amplifier 524, a filter 522 and a pulse transformer 520. The pulse transformers 514 and 520 are optional.

[0068] As shown in Figure 5a, the Automotive Ethernet PHY is used to convert a 2-wire T1 signal (if 100BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-T1 is used (but 2.5GBASE-T1 can also be used)) that is connected to the CCN via SGMII. The actual interface type is not very important; the Automotive Ethernet PHY and the G.vlc baseband chip (DFE) use the same interface type to avoid additional conditioning.

[0069] The G.vlc solution shown in FIG. 5a is applicable to 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1. In some applications, 2.5GBASE-T1 can also be used. For 2.5GBASE-T1, 5GBASE-T1, and 10GBASE-T1, the "G.vlc next generation" offers good opportunities, as shown in FIG. 5b. The configuration shown in FIG. 5b is the same as that in FIG. 5a, except that the infrastructure 504 connected from the CCN becomes an automotive PHY 2.5G, 5G, or 10G infrastructure 504', and the interface 506 is replaced with XFI, XFI / 2, 2500BASE-X, or USCGMII (506'). The front end 550 is the same as that shown in FIG. 5a (500), except that it provides a G.vlc next generation DFE+AFE+OFE based on laser communication and new DFE and AFE instead of LEDs.

[0070] Another option is to use OOK (On-Off Keying) and Automotive Ethernet.

[0071] Figure 6 shows an example implementation of an OOK-based LiFi interface for use with automotive Ethernet. The circuit in Figure 6 includes an automotive Ethernet PHY infrastructure 604 connected to a CNN and an SGMII interface 606 coupled to an optical transceiver consisting of a transmit (Tx) path and a receive (Rx) path. The Tx path includes a transmit driver 610 (with or without equalizer), a Txin buffer, a Txin equalizer 610, an optional clock and data recovery unit 612, a laser driver 614, and an optional optical transmit element (616). The optical Rx path includes a receive element 628, a transimpedance amplifier 626, an optional receive equalizer 624, an optional clock and data recovery unit 622, and a receive driver and optional receive equalizer 620. The input and output lines labeled TX in p, Tx in n (608) and Rx out p, Rx out n (618) represent positive and negative pairs from the SGMII 606.

[0072] 7 shows an example implementation of a G.vlc-based LiFi interface for use with an A-PHY infrastructure 504', connected from a domain ECU rather than a CCN. Block 508 again represents a baseband digital front end (DFE).

[0073] OOK is known for optical fiber and optical wireless applications. It can also be used in LiFi applications, where it offers a higher SNR compared to higher level modulation schemes. However, it also has limitations such as adaptive bitloading.

[0074] The difference between Automotive Ethernet and A-PHY is that data traffic is primarily considered asymmetric, with symmetric data traffic being a more special case. This is due to the fact that A-PHY was developed for specific applications with asymmetric data traffic, such as data transmission from a camera (CSI-2) or to a display (DSI-2). In these cases, only low-bit-rate control data is transmitted in the opposite direction. As a result of the large difference in UL / DL bit rates, lasers do not necessarily have to be used as transmitters for low-speed / data-rate traffic; cheaper LED transmitters can also be used. A-PHY also supports standard third-party protocols.

[0075] Another option is to use OOK and SGMII (Serial Gigabit media-independent interface) with symmetric A-PHY. This is shown in Figure 8 and uses the same approach as described in Figure 6. Figure 8 is the same as Figure 6, except that the cable infrastructure 604 is replaced by an A-PHY infrastructure 604', connecting from the domain ECU rather than the CCN.

[0076] Another option is to use an asymmetric A-PHY with an OOK and DL / UL (downlink / uplink) switch 630, as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9 is the same as Figure 8, except that the SGMII interface 606 has been replaced with a switch 630 that is synchronized based on information 632 about the downlink (DL) to uplink (UL) ratio. Information about the DL to UL ratio is available from the A-PHY (604'). This information is used to switch the two-wire A-PHY interface 630 to an optical transmitter (Tx) or receiver (Rx) accordingly. For transmission of the UL signal, the A-PHY output is connected to the optical Tx.

[0077] Another option is to use symmetric A-PHY with G.vlc. A-PHY solutions are available that can be used in symmetric mode over automotive Ethernet infrastructure (T1 wire). An automotive 100BASE-T1 cable infrastructure can carry 1.5 Gbps of DL and UL traffic using A-PHY technology. An automotive 1000BASE-T1 cable infrastructure using A-PHY technology can carry 2 Gbps of DL and UL traffic. Both automotive Ethernet technologies can theoretically achieve bit rates that support G.vlc. A-PHY can also be combined with next-generation G.vlc, as described above for automotive Ethernet.

[0078] Another option is to use a symmetric A-PHY with OOK and a 2 / 4 wire hybrid converter. For optical transmission of A-PHY signals according to the A-PHY specification V.1.0, a scheme such as that shown in FIG. 10 can be used. FIG. 10 is the same as FIG. 8 except that the SGMII interface 606 has been replaced with a 2 / 4 wire hybrid converter 634. The 2 / 4 wire hybrid converter is used to split the signal at the 2-wire A-PHY interface into DL (Tx2 wires) and UL (Rx2 wires).

[0079] Due to the symmetrical configuration according to the A-PHY specification v1.1, the A-PHY can have two two-wire interfaces (one for Pair #0 and another for Pair #1). Referring to FIG. 11, a source 1102 is connected to a sink 1104 via an STQ cable 1106, which includes a first pair #0 (1108) and a second pair #1 (1110). The source 1102 is Controller 2, and the sink 1104 is Interface 6 in the implementation of FIG. 1. Pair #0 may provide a G5-16 Gbps downlink, and Pair #1 may provide a G5-16 Gbps reverse downlink. Pair #0 is connected to an optical transmitter Tx, and Pair #1 is connected to an optical receiver Rx. The LiFi interface can also be designed to operate with either an automotive Ethernet or MIPI-based infrastructure.

[0080] It should be understood that the above-described embodiments are described by way of example only. Other variations or use cases of the disclosed technology will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure herein. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the described embodiments, but only by the appended claims.

[0081] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood by those skilled in the art, through a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, and can be implemented in practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these means cannot be used to advantage. A computer program may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, or distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. 1. A system for use on a vehicle, the system comprising: an electronic controller; A sensor device; an optical wireless transmitting device; a cable infrastructure having a first end connected to the electronic controller; an interface connected between a second end of the cable infrastructure and the sensor device and the optical wireless transmission device; the interface is operable to select, on a time-shared basis, between i) using the cable infrastructure for a first function of transferring upstream data sensed by the sensor device to the electronic controller, and ii) using the cable infrastructure for a second function of transferring downstream data from the electronic controller to the optical wireless transmission device to be optically transmitted from the optical wireless transmission device; the interface is configured to make a selection depending on a motion state of the vehicle; The interface may make a selection depending on a motion state of the vehicle. using the cable infrastructure for the second function but not for the first function when the vehicle is stationary; and / or using the cable infrastructure for the first function but not for the second function when the vehicle is in motion; 1. A system configured to include:

2. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the cable infrastructure is configured to transfer the downstream data from the electronic controller to the optical wireless transmission device using the same baseband modulation used for optical transmission of the downstream data by the optical wireless transmission device.

3. The interface may make a selection depending on a motion state of the vehicle. using the cable infrastructure for both the first function and the second function on a time-shared basis when the vehicle is moving, but adapting the time spent used for the first function relative to the second function depending on the speed of the vehicle; 3. The system of claim 1 or 2, configured to include:

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical wireless transmission device comprises a LiFi transmitter.

5. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical wireless transmission device comprises an optical transmission device configured to use G.vlc or OOK as a physical layer for optical transmission of the downstream data.

6. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cable infrastructure comprises an automotive Ethernet or A-PHY infrastructure, or a combination of automotive Ethernet and A-PHY.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor device comprises a wireless sensing device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless sensing device is an optical sensing device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the light sensing device comprises a camera, a LiDAR sensor, or a LiFi data receiver.

10. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical wireless transmission device is a LiFi transceiver or other optical transceiver device capable of optically transmitting and receiving data, and the second function further includes forwarding upstream data optically received by an optical receiver to the electronic controller.

11. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the cable infrastructure is configured to provide symmetric data transfer rates for the first and second functions.

12. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the cable infrastructure is configured to provide asymmetric data transfer rates for the second function compared to the first function.

13. 1. A method for transferring data on a vehicle including an electronic controller, a sensor device, an optical wireless transmission device, and a cable infrastructure, the method comprising: selecting, on a time-shared basis, between i) using the cable infrastructure for a first function of transferring upstream data sensed by the sensor device to the electronic controller, and ii) using the cable infrastructure for a second function of transferring downstream data from the electronic controller to the optical wireless transmission device to be optically transmitted from the optical wireless transmission device; Including, The selecting is performed depending on a motion state of the vehicle, and the method further comprises: using the cable infrastructure for the second function but not for the first function when the vehicle is stationary; and / or using the cable infrastructure for the first function but not for the second function when the vehicle is in motion; A method comprising:

14. 15. A program comprising computer readable code embodied in non-transitory computer readable storage and configured, when executed on one or more processors, to perform the method of claim 14 based on input from the electronic controller or sensor device of claim 1.

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