Bridge Service for Vehicle Head Unit Microservice Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing communication systems between a vehicle's head unit and microservices face significant bandwidth overhead due to the need for establishing and terminating new connections for each data transmission, especially when utilizing RESTful communications.

Innovation Solution

A bridge service coordinates messages between the head unit and microservices using a connection broker and a topic connection mechanism, establishing a single keep-alive connection for multiple topics, allowing for efficient data transmission without modifying the microservices, by mapping configuration information to determine the appropriate network calls for each topic.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a new connection is established and terminated for each data transmission using RESTful communications, then microservices can be accessed using standard REST APIs, but bandwidth overhead increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveREST API compatibilityVSAvoidbandwidth overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple REST API calls into a single WebSocket connection. The bridge service consolidates multiple microservice communications that would traditionally require separate HTTP connections into one persistent WebSocket connection, reducing connection establishment overhead and bandwidth consumption while maintaining RESTful API compatibility through message formatting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The WebSocket connection serves multiple functions by handling communications with multiple different microservices through a single connection. The bridge service routes messages to appropriate microservices based on topic subscriptions, making the single connection universal for various microservice interactions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple microservices are accessed through separate connections, then each microservice can be independently managed, but connection management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemicroservice independenceVSAvoidconnection management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bridge service acts as an intermediary between the head unit and multiple microservices. It manages the single WebSocket connection and handles routing to different microservices based on message topics, eliminating the need for the head unit to manage multiple connections while preserving microservice independence through configurable routing rules.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The bridge service segments the connection management task by separating connection handling from message routing. The WebSocket connection is managed centrally while messages are segmented and routed to appropriate microservices based on topic matching, reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of energy

If a keep-alive connection is used for continuous communication, then bandwidth efficiency improves, but connection maintenance overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth efficiencyVSAvoidconnection maintenance

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The bridge service implements periodic keep-alive pings to maintain the WebSocket connection. Instead of continuous data transmission, it uses periodic maintenance actions to keep the connection alive, reducing bandwidth usage while ensuring connection stability for when data needs to be transmitted.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS20210306429A1System and method for correlating keep-alive connection communications with unary connection communications

Publication Date: 2021.09.30 XEVO INC

AI summary

Embodiments are directed towards a system and method of employing a bridge service to coordinate messages from a keep-alive connection between a head unit of a vehicle and a connection broker with microservices via unary connections. The bridge service stores configuration information that maps topic connection information for the keep-alive connection with microservice connection information. The bridge service subscribes with the connection broker to topics associated with the microservices based on the configuration information. A message that is published to the keep-alive connection having a published topic that corresponds to a subscribed topic is received from the connection broker. The microservice connection information that maps to the published topic is selected based on the configuration information. The bridge service establishes a unary connection with a microservice based on the selected microservice connection information, which is utilized to provide message payload information from the bridge service to the microservice.