Communication system and vehicle

Abstract

A communication system and a vehicle, which belong to the technical field of vehicular communications. The communication system comprises: an optical transmitting module and / or an optical receiving module, and a cooling module, wherein the cooling module is used for cooling the optical transmitting module and / or the optical receiving module and a central control device; the optical transmitting module is used for sending a downlink optical signal by means of an optical transmission channel; and the optical receiving module is used for receiving an uplink optical signal transmitted by means of the optical transmission channel.

Description

Communication systems and vehicles

[0001] Priority information

[0002] This application claims priority and benefits to patent application No. 202411959898.5, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on December 25, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application belongs to the field of vehicle communication technology, specifically relating to a communication system and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0004] With the development of vehicle electrification, intelligence, and connectivity, as well as the improvement of driver assistance systems, higher demands are being placed on the bandwidth of in-vehicle communication. To meet these bandwidth requirements, related technologies are using optical fiber instead of twisted-pair cables as the transmission medium. However, optical communication devices in in-vehicle optical communication systems, such as optical transmitting and receiving modules, are temperature-sensitive and difficult to meet the temperature (105°C) specifications required by automotive environments. Therefore, how to meet the bandwidth requirements of in-vehicle optical communication systems while minimizing the impact of the in-vehicle environment on optical communication equipment is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application aims to address at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application proposes a communication system and vehicle to solve the technical problems that existing communication systems cannot meet the bandwidth requirements of in-vehicle communication, and the adverse effects of the in-vehicle environment on optical communication equipment.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, including a transmitting module and / or an optical receiving module, and a cooling module:

[0007] A cooling module is used to cool the optical emitting module and / or optical receiving module, as well as the central control equipment;

[0008] The aforementioned optical transmitting module is used to transmit downlink optical signals through the optical transmission channel, and the optical receiving module is used to receive uplink optical signals transmitted through the optical transmission channel.

[0009] In some embodiments, at least one of the aforementioned optical emitting module and / or optical receiving module is disposed on a central control device.

[0010] In some embodiments, the central control device may include a domain controller or a central computing unit.

[0011] In some embodiments, the cooling module includes at least one of a liquid cooling module and a thermoelectric cooling module.

[0012] In some embodiments, the downlink optical signal carries downlink data sent to the first communication terminal, and / or the uplink optical signal carries uplink data sent by the first communication terminal.

[0013] In some embodiments, the optical transmitting module includes an optical transmitting unit and a first signal modulator. The optical transmitting unit is used to transmit a first optical carrier, and the first signal modulator is used to modulate downlink data onto the first optical carrier to form a downlink optical signal.

[0014] The optical receiving module includes a first photodetector for obtaining a first electrical signal carrying uplink data based on the uplink optical signal.

[0015] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0016] An optical terminal module, one end of which is connected to a first communication terminal, and the other end of which is connected to an optical transmitting module and / or an optical receiving module.

[0017] In some embodiments, the optical terminal module includes a first beam splitter, a second photodetector, and a second signal modulator;

[0018] The first beam splitter is used to split the downlink optical signal to obtain the first downlink optical signal and the second downlink optical signal;

[0019] The second photodetector is used to obtain a second electrical signal carrying downlink data based on the first downlink optical signal;

[0020] The second signal modulator is used to modulate the uplink data onto the second downlink optical signal to obtain the uplink optical signal.

[0021] In some embodiments, the time slots occupied by the uplink data and downlink data are different.

[0022] In some embodiments, the first beam splitter, the second photodetector, and the second signal modulator are all disposed on a silicon photonic chip.

[0023] In some embodiments, the optical terminal module further includes a signal amplifier, a driver, and a communication chip;

[0024] A signal amplifier is used to amplify the second electrical signal carrying downlink data before sending it to the communication chip.

[0025] The driver is used to receive the second electrical signal sent by the communication chip, which will carry uplink data, and send it to the second signal modulator;

[0026] The communication chip is used to send downlink data to the first communication terminal and to receive uplink data sent by the first communication terminal.

[0027] In some embodiments, the optical transmitting module and the optical receiving module are configured in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0028] The optical transmitter module and the optical terminal module are configured in a one-to-one correspondence, or the optical transmitter module and the optical terminal module are configured in a one-to-many manner.

[0029] In some embodiments, if the optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module are configured as a pair N, and the optical transmission channel is provided with a beam splitter and a beam combiner, where N is a positive integer greater than 1;

[0030] The optical splitter is used to split the downlink optical signal sent by the optical transmitter module into N downlink optical signals i. Each of the N downlink optical signals i corresponds to one of the N optical terminal modules and is transmitted to the corresponding optical terminal module.

[0031] The optical combiner is used to combine N uplink optical signals i into one uplink optical signal and send it to the optical receiving module. The N uplink optical signals i correspond one-to-one with N optical terminal modules and are sent by the corresponding optical terminal modules.

[0032] In some embodiments, the time slots occupied by the downlink data carried on each downlink optical signal i are different;

[0033] The time slots occupied by the downlink data carried on each uplink optical signal i are different.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first communication terminal includes a camera and / or a radar sensor, and the optical terminal module is disposed within a preset range of the camera and / or radar sensor.

[0035] In some embodiments, at least one area controller is further included, which is located within a preset range of the second communication terminal, and the second communication terminal and the area controller transmit data via an electrical signal transmission bus.

[0036] In some embodiments, optical signal transmission is performed between the optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module, and between the optical terminal module and the optical receiving module, using either fiber optic Ethernet or mobile industry processor interface digital physical layer optical links.

[0037] Electrical signal transmission buses include any one of the following: controller area network bus, local internet bus, and controller area network bus with flexible data rates.

[0038] Secondly, this application also provides a vehicle including the communication system described in the first aspect above.

[0039] This application provides a communication system including an optical transmitting module and / or an optical receiving module, and a cooling module. The cooling module is used to cool the optical transmitting module and / or the optical receiving module, as well as a central control device. The optical transmitting module is used to transmit downlink optical signals through an optical transmission channel, and the optical receiving module is used to receive uplink optical signals transmitted through the optical transmission channel. This system utilizes the optical transmitting and receiving modules to achieve data transmission, and the cooling module cools the transmitting and / or receiving modules, as well as the central control device. This not only enables the transmission of large amounts of data, ensuring the integrity and reliability of the transmitted data, but also effectively reduces the adverse effects of the in-vehicle environment on the optical communication equipment. Therefore, while meeting the increasing bandwidth requirements of modern vehicles for in-vehicle communication, it enhances the stability and durability of the system.

[0040] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0041] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication system in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication system in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical emitting module in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical receiving module in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another communication system in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical terminal module in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of another optical terminal module in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication system in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a beam splitter distribution in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle provided in this application;

[0053] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another vehicle in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0054] Embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this application can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this application. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of this application are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0055] It should be understood that the steps described in the method embodiments of this application may be performed in different orders and / or in parallel. Furthermore, the method embodiments may include additional steps and / or omit the steps shown. The scope of this application is not limited in this respect.

[0056] As described in the background section, existing vehicle communication systems use optical communication to transmit data. However, with the continuous growth of various sensing data, and the fact that existing automotive-grade optical communication equipment only supports transmission rates up to gigabit levels, it is difficult to cope with the transmission needs of large-scale data such as high-bandwidth image data of 10G+. Therefore, there is a problem that it cannot meet the bandwidth requirements of modern vehicles for vehicle communication.

[0057] In addition, when using the above-mentioned vehicle communication system for data transmission, optical communication equipment faces the problem of not being able to reach automotive-grade temperatures. Specifically, this is reflected in the following two aspects: firstly, the optical power of the laser inside the optical communication equipment decreases at high temperatures; secondly, the working life of the optical communication equipment is difficult to reach the standard of 15 years at high temperatures. These problems all indicate that the vehicle environment has an adverse effect on the performance of optical communication equipment.

[0058] Therefore, this application provides a communication system including an optical transmitting module and / or an optical receiving module, and a cooling module. The cooling module is used to cool the optical transmitting module and / or the optical receiving module, as well as the central control device. The optical transmitting module is used to transmit downlink optical signals through an optical transmission channel, and the optical receiving module is used to receive uplink optical signals transmitted through the optical transmission channel. It utilizes the optical transmitting module and the optical receiving module to achieve data transmission, and uses the existing cooling module to cool the transmitting module and / or the optical receiving module, as well as the central control device. This not only enables the transmission of large amounts of data, ensuring the integrity and reliability of the transmitted data, but also effectively reduces the adverse effects of the vehicle environment on the optical communication equipment. Thus, while meeting the increasing bandwidth requirements of modern vehicles for in-vehicle communication, it enhances the stability and durability of the system. The communication system provided in this application embodiment may include an optical transmitting module 1 and a cooling module 3, or an optical receiving module 2 and a cooling module 3, or an optical transmitting module 1, an optical receiving module 2, and a cooling module 3. For example, as shown in FIG1, a communication system including an optical transmitting module 1, an optical receiving module 2, and a cooling module 3 will be described.

[0059] Among them, the aforementioned optical transmitting module 1 is used to send downlink optical signals through the optical transmission channel. The aforementioned optical transmission channel is a channel that uses changes in the intensity or frequency of light to transmit information. It mainly relies on transmission media such as optical fibers and related optoelectronic devices to realize data transmission. It has characteristics such as high speed, large capacity, and low latency, which can ensure the efficiency and reliability of data transmission. In vehicle communication, downlink optical signals usually refer to the optical signals transmitted from the central node or upper-level node of the vehicle network to various terminal devices, such as sensors and actuators. For example, the optical signals sent from the central control equipment to the sensors.

[0060] The optical receiving module 2 is used to receive uplink optical signals transmitted through the optical transmission channel. In vehicle communication, the uplink signal usually refers to the optical signal transmitted from various terminal devices of the vehicle to the central node or upper-level node of the vehicle network. For example, the optical signal sent from the first communication terminal to the central control device.

[0061] Cooling module 3 is used to cool the optical emitting module, optical receiving module, and central control equipment to ensure that their temperatures are maintained within a certain operating temperature range, for example, -40℃ to 105℃. This reduces the impact of the vehicle environment on vehicle communication, thereby improving the reliability and applicability of the vehicle communication system. The central control equipment is used to regulate various functions within the vehicle. Specifically, it receives input information from various sensors and processes and analyzes this information according to predetermined programs and algorithms to control the vehicle's acceleration, braking, steering, and other operations. The cooling module can be an existing module already configured in the central control equipment, including at least one of a liquid cooling module and a thermoelectric cooling module. The liquid cooling module utilizes the circulation of water to remove heat; that is, it uses water as a cooling medium to transfer heat from heat sources, such as the CPU, GPU, and optical receiving module, to another location, such as a radiator, and then dissipates the heat into the environment through air or other means, effectively reducing the equipment temperature and ensuring stable operation.

[0062] The aforementioned thermoelectric cooling modules typically utilize thermoelectric coolers (TECs) for cooling. TECs leverage the Peltier effect of semiconductor materials, absorbing heat at one end and releasing it at the other when current flows through them, thus achieving cooling. Specifically, when current flows from an N-type semiconductor to a P-type semiconductor, heat is absorbed at the interface of the N-type semiconductor and released at the interface of the P-type semiconductor. As described above, the communication system provided in this application utilizes optical transmitting and receiving modules for data transmission. By employing existing cooling modules to cool the transmitting and / or receiving modules, as well as the central control equipment, it not only enables the transmission of large amounts of data, ensuring data integrity and reliability, but also effectively reduces the adverse effects of the in-vehicle environment on optical communication equipment. This enhances the system's stability and durability while meeting the increasing bandwidth demands of modern vehicles for in-vehicle communication.

[0063] In this embodiment, at least one of the optical transmitting module 1 and optical receiving module 2 can be disposed on the central control device 6. If both the optical transmitting module 1 and optical receiving module 2 are disposed on the central control device 6, the structure is as shown in Figure 2. In this case, the module and the central control device can share a cooling module for cooling; that is, the cooling module already configured on the central control device can be used to cool the module and the central control device to maintain them within a certain operating temperature range. If one of the optical transmitting module 1 and optical receiving module 2 is disposed on the central control device, and the other is disposed in the surrounding area of ​​the central control device, the cooling module already configured on the central control device can also be used to cool the module and the central control device. For example, when the transmitting module 1 is disposed on the central control device and the optical receiving module 2 is disposed in the surrounding area of ​​the central control device, the structure is as shown in Figure 3.

[0064] In this embodiment, the central control device includes a domain controller or a central computing unit. A domain controller is a control module integrating the functions of multiple electronic control units. It is designed for specific functional areas, such as powertrain, body, information, and entertainment, and can process data from various sensors and implement corresponding control through actuators. Examples include advanced driver assistance system domain controllers, powertrain domain controllers, and body domain controllers. The central computing unit integrates high-performance computing capabilities and abundant interface resources. It processes data from various vehicle sensors or actuators and performs complex calculations and decision-making tasks based on this data, such as autonomous driving, in-vehicle infotainment systems, and vehicle status monitoring and control.

[0065] In this embodiment, the downlink optical signal carries downlink data sent to the first communication terminal. This downlink data refers to data sent from the vehicular network to the first communication terminal, such as control commands, vehicle status information, sensor configuration information, and environmental perception data requests sent from the vehicular network to vehicle sensors. The uplink optical signal carries uplink data sent by the first communication terminal. This uplink data refers to data collected or received by the first communication terminal and sent to the vehicular network, such as various vehicle status information, location information, and driving trajectory data. Both the downlink and uplink optical signals can be transmitted using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) or time division multiplexing (TDM) to ensure real-time and efficient communication and coordination between the various systems within the vehicle and the first communication terminal, thereby supporting the various functions of the intelligent connected vehicle.

[0066] Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is a technology that combines multiple optical signals of different wavelengths using a multiplexer and couples them to the same optical fiber for data transmission. It features high efficiency, high speed, and high reliability. Specifically, it utilizes the different wavelengths of light to multiplex multiple optical signals at the transmitting end, and then uses a demultiplexer at the receiving end to separate these optical signals, thereby achieving parallel transmission of multiple signals.

[0067] Time division multiplexing (TDM) is a communication technology that allocates input signals to output signals along the time axis. It features high efficiency, flexibility, reliability, and scalability. Specifically, it divides the time available for transmitting information across the entire channel into several time slots and allocates these slots to each signal source to ensure efficient resource utilization. At the transmitting end, multiple signal sources take turns using the channel in chronological order for transmission; at the receiving end, the signals are extracted in the same chronological order to reconstruct the original signal.

[0068] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, the optical transmitting module 1 includes an optical transmitting unit 11 and a first signal modulator 12, with the optical transmitting unit connected to the first signal modulator. The optical transmitting unit is used to transmit a first optical carrier, which is a data transmission medium capable of carrying a large amount of information and can be used for downlink and uplink data transmission. The first signal modulator is used to modulate the downlink data to be transmitted onto the first optical carrier to form a downlink optical signal, that is, to convert the original electrical signal data into an optical signal so that it can be transmitted at high speed in the optical fiber. Specifically, the first signal modulator receives the downlink data to be transmitted and then uses corresponding modulation techniques, such as phase modulation, amplitude modulation, and frequency modulation, to encode the information of the downlink data onto the first optical carrier to form a downlink optical signal. The optical receiving module 2 includes a first photodetector 21, as shown in FIG5, used to obtain a first electrical signal carrying uplink data based on the uplink optical signal. The photodetector is a device capable of converting optical signals into electrical signals; that is, it generates an electrical signal by causing a change in the electronic state inside a specific material when light is shone onto it.

[0069] In some embodiments, the communication system further includes an optical terminal module 4, used for bidirectional transmission of optical signals between the central control device and the first communication terminal, i.e., receiving downlink optical signals and modulating uplink optical signals to achieve data exchange and communication. One end of the optical terminal module is connected to the first communication terminal 5, and the other end can be connected to an optical transmitting module or an optical receiving module separately, or simultaneously to both, as shown in Figure 6. The first communication terminal refers to a device capable of collecting, generating, or receiving large amounts of data, such as a camera, millimeter-scale radar, lidar, ultrasonic radar, and control unit.

[0070] In some embodiments, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an optical terminal module, which includes a first beam splitter 41, a second photodetector 42, and a second signal modulator 43, all of which are disposed on a silicon photonic chip 44. The first beam splitter is connected to the second photodetector and the second signal modulator. The beam splitter is used to distribute optical signals from one or more input terminals to multiple output terminals. During the distribution process, the input optical signals need to be distributed to multiple output ports according to a certain ratio based on the splitting ratio. The splitting ratio refers to the proportional relationship between the optical powers of each output terminal of the beam splitter. Its specific value can be determined according to the actual engineering requirements for optical signal power. For example, if the splitting ratio of a beam splitter is 1:1, the input optical signal will be evenly distributed to two output ports, and the optical power obtained by each output port is equal; however, if the splitting ratio of a beam splitter is 1:2, the optical power obtained by the second output port will be twice that obtained by the first output port. The second signal modulator is a silicon-based optical modulator that is insensitive to temperature. It is used to modulate electrical signals onto an optical carrier to achieve electro-optical signal conversion. By modulating the optical signal through the modulator in the optical receiving terminal, the impact of temperature on communication equipment can be effectively reduced, ensuring that the optical signal maintains stable transmission quality and performance under different ambient temperatures, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the communication system. In this embodiment, the first beam splitter is used to split the received downlink optical signal to obtain a first downlink optical signal and a second downlink optical signal; the second photodetector is used to obtain a second electrical signal carrying downlink data based on the first downlink optical signal, that is, to convert the first downlink optical signal into a second electrical signal. Since there may be signal attenuation during the conversion of optical signal into electrical signal, the obtained second electrical signal is often relatively weak; the second signal modulator is used to modulate uplink data onto the second downlink optical signal to obtain an uplink optical signal, that is, to convert the uplink data electrical signal into an uplink optical signal.

[0071] In the embodiments of this application, both downlink and uplink communication use light waves with wavelengths in the range of 850nm to 1650nm to transmit data using a time-division multiplexing method. Specifically, when transmitting uplink and downlink data through the optical transmission channel, the time slots they occupy are different to ensure that the two types of data transmission are staggered in time and do not interfere with each other, thereby improving the efficiency of data transmission.

[0072] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8, the optical terminal module further includes a signal amplifier 45, a driver 46, and a communication chip 47. The signal amplifier is used to amplify the second electrical signal carrying downlink data and send it to the communication chip. Specifically, it amplifies the weak second electrical signal converted from the first optical signal detected by the second photodetector. This ensures that the second electrical signal has sufficient strength before being sent to the communication chip, thereby avoiding transmission errors or data loss due to insufficient signal strength. The driver is used to receive the second electrical signal carrying uplink data sent by the communication chip and send it to the second signal modulator. Specifically, it further processes the electrical signal amplified by the signal amplifier to drive subsequent circuits or devices. For example, it modulates the amplified second electrical signal onto the second modulator to drive the laser to emit laser light. The communication chip is used to send downlink data to the first communication terminal and receive uplink data sent by the first communication terminal.

[0073] In this embodiment of the application, the specific process of data interaction between the optical terminal module and the first communication terminal 5 is as follows: After receiving the downlink optical signal sent by the central control device 6, the optical terminal module first sends it into the first optical splitter 41 and performs optical splitting according to the splitting ratio n:m, where n and m are both greater than or equal to 1, to obtain the first downlink optical signal and the second downlink optical signal. The first downlink optical signal is used for downlink communication. It is fed into the second photodetector 42 to convert it into a second electrical signal, which is then amplified in the signal amplifier 45 and transmitted to the first communication terminal via the communication chip 47. For example, the amplified second electrical signal is transmitted to the camera via the MAC-PHY communication chip. The second downlink optical signal is used for uplink communication. The uplink data to be communicated is first sent from the first communication terminal to the communication chip 47, then further processed by the driver 46. This data is then sent to the second signal modulator 43, where it is modulated onto the second downlink optical signal according to the predefined time slots to obtain the uplink optical signal. Finally, this optical signal is sent to the central control device, such as the domain controller of an advanced driver assistance system. After the optical signal is converted to an electrical signal at the central control device, it is transmitted to the upper-layer protocol module, thus completing the uplink communication. The time slots are obtained using time-division multiplexing technology. The upper-layer protocol module processes the received electrical signals and performs protocol conversion, data processing, and decision generation.

[0074] In this embodiment, the optical transmitting module and the optical receiving module have a corresponding configuration relationship, such as a one-to-one correspondence, meaning that whenever there is an optical transmitting module, there must be an optical receiving module. The location of the optical receiving module is not limited; it can be placed on the central control device, within a preset range of the central control device, or within a preset range of the optical terminal module. For example, the optical receiving module can be placed within 40cm of the central control device. The optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module have various corresponding configuration relationships, such as one-to-one or one-to-many. Specifically, these two types of modules can be configured in a one-to-one correspondence manner to ensure that each optical transmitting module has a corresponding optical terminal module for data transmission; or they can be configured in a one-to-many manner, where one optical transmitting module can correspond to multiple optical terminal modules simultaneously. This configuration helps improve data transmission efficiency and the overall performance of the system.

[0075] In some embodiments, when both the optical transmitting module 1 and the optical receiving module 2 are located on a central control device, if the optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module are configured in a one-to-N manner (where N is a positive integer greater than 1), i.e., a one-to-many configuration, then a splitter and a combiner will be installed on the optical transmission channel. For example, the optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module can be configured in a one-to-three configuration, with each optical terminal module connected to a first communication terminal, as shown in Figure 9. In this case, the splitter is used to split the downlink optical signal transmitted by the optical transmitting module into N downlink optical signals i, and each of the N downlink optical signals i corresponds one-to-one with one of the N optical terminal modules, and is transmitted to the corresponding optical terminal module. The combiner is used to combine the N uplink optical signals i into one uplink optical signal and transmit it to the optical receiving module, and each of the N uplink optical signals i corresponds one-to-one with one of the N optical terminal modules, and is transmitted by the corresponding optical terminal module. Here, N is an integer.

[0076] Specifically, during downlink communication, the central control device sends downlink data to the optical transmitting module 1. The optical transmitting module 1 then uses the first signal modulator 12 to modulate the downlink data onto the optical carrier and sends it to the optical splitter 7 through the optical transmitting unit 11. Subsequently, the optical splitter 7 divides the downlink data into N downlink optical signals i according to a preset splitting ratio, and then sends these downlink optical signals i to N optical terminal modules 4 to obtain N groups of downlink optical signals j, i.e., 2N downlink optical signals j. Then, one downlink optical signal is randomly selected from each group, and the N downlink optical signals are converted into electrical signals by the second photodetector 42 and sent to the first communication terminal 5 to complete the downlink communication. The remaining N downlink optical signals j are used for uplink communication. That is, the N optical terminal modules 4 use time-division multiplexing to modulate the uplink data to be uploaded onto the remaining N downlink optical signals j through the second signal modulator 43, and send them to the optical combiner 7 to combine them into one uplink optical signal. Finally, the one uplink optical signal is sent to the optical receiving module 2 to complete the uplink communication.

[0077] For example, when the splitting ratio is 1:1:1, the optical signal carrying downlink data will be split into three downlink optical signals i, namely downlink optical signal 1, downlink optical signal 2, and downlink optical signal 3. When these three downlink optical signals are sent to optical terminal module A, optical terminal module B, and optical terminal module C, they will be further split by the first beam splitter 41 to obtain three sets of downlink optical signals j, i.e., six downlink optical signals j. Downlink optical signals 4 and 5 are in the first set, downlink optical signals 6 and 7 are in the second set, and downlink optical signals 8 and 9 are in the third set. Then, one downlink optical signal is randomly selected from each group, and a total of three downlink optical signals are sent to the first communication terminal A, the first communication terminal B, and the first communication terminal C to complete downlink communication. The remaining three downlink optical signals are used for uplink communication. During uplink communication, the optical terminal modules corresponding to the three downlink optical signals respectively modulate the uplink data to be communicated into the three downlink optical signals in a time-division multiplexing manner through the second signal modulator 43, and send it to the optical splitter 7 for combining to obtain one uplink optical signal, which is then sent to the optical receiving module 2 to complete uplink communication.

[0078] The number and distribution of the beam splitters in the above embodiments can be set according to actual needs, and are subject to certain limitations on the number of first communication terminals k2 that each beam splitter can connect to, i.e., k3>k2>=1, where k3 is the maximum number of first communication terminals that each beam splitter can connect to, and its value can also be determined according to the optical power requirements in actual engineering. For example, as shown in Figure 10, four beam splitters 7 are set at different locations on a vehicle, and each beam splitter is connected to three sensors 5.

[0079] In this embodiment, both downlink and uplink communication utilize optical waves with wavelengths ranging from 820nm to 1650nm for data transmission. During transmission, each downlink optical signal i and each uplink optical signal i are transmitted using time-division multiplexing to ensure that the signals do not interfere with each other when sharing the same physical medium. Specifically, the time slots occupied by the downlink data carried on each downlink optical signal i are different, and the time slots occupied by the downlink data carried on each uplink optical signal i are also different. These time slots do not overlap in time, ensuring the independence and integrity of downlink and uplink data, thereby ensuring the effective and efficient transmission of the data.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first communication terminal includes various devices, such as sensors, control units, and in-vehicle clients. The sensors include at least one of a camera, a lidar sensor, a millimeter-wave radar sensor, and an ultrasonic radar sensor. The optical terminal module is positioned within a preset range of the first communication terminal. This preset range is pre-set according to actual needs, enabling better data exchange between the optical terminal module and the first communication terminal while allowing for more flexible positioning to effectively utilize the vehicle's interior space. For example, the optical terminal module may be positioned within 50cm of the camera.

[0081] In some embodiments, for vehicles with a domain-controlled distributed electronic and electrical architecture, the communication system further includes at least one area controller, which is set within a preset range of the second communication terminal. In this case, the second communication terminal and the area controller transmit data via an electrical signal transmission bus. Specifically, the data collected by the second communication terminal is transmitted to the corresponding area controller via the electrical signal transmission bus. Subsequently, this data is forwarded to other systems or central processing units that require this data through a gateway. This configuration can reduce data transmission latency and enhance signal stability, thereby improving system response speed. The aforementioned domain-controlled distributed electronic and electrical architecture refers to dividing the functions of various parts of the vehicle's electronics into several domains, and then using powerful multi-core CPU / GPU chips to centrally control most of the functions originally belonging to various electronic control units within the domain. The area controller is defined according to the physical location of the area, such as the front domain controller, the rear domain controller, etc. It is usually set within a preset range of the second communication terminal in the corresponding area, for example, within 30cm of the temperature sensor in the left rear area of ​​the vehicle. It is responsible for receiving and processing data from the sensor and transmitting this data to other control systems or the central processing unit through an electrical signal transmission bus. The second communication terminal refers to a device that can collect, generate, and acquire low-volume data, such as temperature sensors, pressure sensors, control units, etc.

[0082] The aforementioned electrical signal transmission bus is a physical channel for data transmission and communication, allowing multiple devices to exchange data and transmit control information through a shared physical transmission medium, such as wires or optical fibers. It includes various types of buses, such as controller area network (SAR) buses, local internet buses, and SAR buses with flexible data rates. In this application, the electrical signal transmission bus includes any one of the above types.

[0083] In some embodiments, since both the fiber optic Ethernet and the mobile industry processor interface digital physical layer optical links can transmit optical signals through transmission media such as optical fibers, either the fiber optic Ethernet or the mobile industry processor interface digital physical layer optical links can be used for optical signal transmission between the optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module, and between the optical terminal module and the optical receiving module. This configuration not only improves the system's compatibility and flexibility, but also ensures that optical signals can be transmitted efficiently and accurately between different modules.

[0084] In this application, the above embodiments are merely examples of a communication system. The data transmission method and cooling module used therein are also applicable to communication systems that include an optical transmitting module and a cooling module, or communication systems that include an optical receiving module and a cooling module, or communication systems that include an optical transmitting module and / or an optical receiving module, a cooling module, and an optical terminal module, etc.

[0085] This application also provides a vehicle, as shown in Figure 11, including the communication system 10 mentioned in any of the above embodiments. This communication system enables communication between a central control device and various communication terminals with large data volumes. Existing cooling modules are used to cool the optical transmitting module, optical receiving module, and central control device, ensuring not only the transmission of large amounts of data and guaranteeing the integrity and reliability of the transmitted data, but also effectively reducing the adverse effects of the vehicle environment on the optical communication equipment. This meets the continuously growing demand for in-vehicle communication bandwidth in modern vehicles and further improves the stability and durability of the system. The structure of the vehicle can also be seen in Figure 12.

[0086] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other implementations under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these implementations are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A communication system, wherein, Includes an optical transmitting module and / or an optical receiving module, as well as a cooling module: A cooling module is used to cool the optical emitting module and / or the optical receiving module, as well as the central control device; The optical transmitting module is used to transmit downlink optical signals through the optical transmission channel, and the optical receiving module is used to receive uplink optical signals transmitted through the optical transmission channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, At least one of the optical emitting module and / or the optical receiving module is installed on the central control device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, The central control device includes a domain controller or a central computing unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, The cooling module includes at least one of a liquid-liquid cooling module, an air-cooling module, and a thermoelectric cooling module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, The downlink optical signal carries downlink data sent to the first communication terminal, and / or the uplink optical signal carries uplink data sent by the first communication terminal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein, The optical transmitting module includes an optical transmitting unit and a first signal modulator. The optical transmitting unit is used to transmit a first optical carrier, and the first signal modulator is used to modulate the downlink data onto the first optical carrier to form the downlink optical signal. The optical receiving module includes a first photodetector, used to obtain a first electrical signal carrying the uplink data based on the uplink optical signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein, Also includes: An optical terminal module, one end of which is connected to a first communication terminal, and the other end of which is connected to the optical transmitting module and / or the optical receiving module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein, The optical terminal module includes a first beam splitter, a second photodetector, and a second signal modulator; The first beam splitter is used to split the downlink optical signal to obtain a first downlink optical signal and a second downlink optical signal; The second photodetector is used to obtain a second electrical signal carrying the downlink data based on the first downlink optical signal; The second signal modulator is used to modulate the uplink data onto the second downlink optical signal to obtain the uplink optical signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein, The uplink data and the downlink data occupy different time slots.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein, The first beam splitter, the second photodetector, and the second signal modulator are all mounted on a silicon photonic chip.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein, The optical terminal module also includes a signal amplifier, a driver, and a communication chip; The signal amplifier is used to amplify the second electrical signal carrying the downlink data and then send it to the communication chip; The driver is used to receive a second electrical signal sent by the communication chip that carries the uplink data and send it to the second signal modulator; The communication chip is used to send downlink data to the first communication terminal and to receive uplink data sent by the first communication terminal.

12. The system of any of claims 7-11, wherein, The optical transmitting module and the optical receiving module are configured in a one-to-one correspondence; The optical emitting module and the optical terminal module are configured in a one-to-one correspondence, or the optical emitting module and the optical terminal module are configured in a one-to-many manner.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein, If the optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module are configured as a pair with N, and the optical transmission channel is equipped with a beam splitter and / or a beam combiner, where N is a positive integer greater than 1; The optical splitter is used to split the downlink optical signal sent by the optical transmitting module into N downlink optical signals i. The N downlink optical signals i correspond one-to-one with N optical terminal modules and are transmitted to the corresponding optical terminal modules. The combiner is used for combining N uplink optical signals i into one uplink optical signal and sending to the optical receiving module, the N uplink optical signals i correspond to the N optical terminal modules one by one and are sent by the corresponding optical terminal modules.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein, The time slots occupied by the downlink data carried on each of the downlink optical signals i are different. The time slots occupied by the downlink data carried on each of the uplink optical signals i are different.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein, The first communication terminal comprises a camera and / or a laser radar sensor, and the optical terminal module is arranged within a preset range of the camera and / or the laser radar.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein, Further comprising at least one area controller, the area controller is arranged within a preset range of a second communication terminal, and data transmission is performed between the second communication terminal and the area controller through a telecommunication signal transmission bus.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein, Optical fiber Ethernet and any one of mobile industry processor interface digital physical layer optical links are used for optical signal transmission between the optical transmitting module and the optical terminal module and between the optical terminal module and the optical receiving module. The telecommunication signal transmission bus comprises any one of a controller area network bus, a local internet bus and a controller area network bus with flexible data rate.

18. A vehicle, wherein, The communication system comprises any one of claims 1-17.

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