Distributed Buffer Ownership Transfer in Automotive Communication Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current layered communication architectures in automotive electronics, such as AUTOSAR, face challenges in efficiently managing and transferring ownership of communication buffers for protocol data units (PDUs) among modules, leading to inefficiencies in data transmission and processing.
Innovation Solution
A distributed function-specific buffer arrangement is implemented, where each module reserves its own communication buffers and can transfer ownership of these buffers to other modules, with a buffer library managing buffer access and allocation, ensuring efficient buffer usage and ownership management through a functional safety mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a centralized buffer management approach is used in layered communication architectures, then buffer allocation and ownership transfer can be standardized, but inefficiencies arise in data transmission and processing due to centralized control overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized buffer management into distributed buffer pools at each module level. Each module maintains its own buffer pool and can independently manage buffer allocation and ownership transfer, eliminating the need for centralized buffer management overhead while improving data transmission efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines buffer allocation, ownership transfer, and memory management functions into an integrated buffer pool mechanism at each module. This merging of functions allows modules to efficiently manage their own buffers while maintaining standardized interfaces for inter-module communication.
2Reliability
If modules share common communication buffers, then memory utilization can be improved, but reliability and safety are compromised due to potential buffer access conflicts and ownership ambiguities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a buffer pool as an intermediary mechanism between modules. Each module has its own buffer pool that acts as a dedicated memory resource, eliminating buffer access conflicts while maintaining standardized buffer interfaces. The buffer pool manages buffer allocation and ownership transfer, ensuring reliable and safe inter-module communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local buffer pools at each module with function-specific buffer arrangements. Each buffer pool is tailored to the specific communication needs of its module, providing optimized buffer management while ensuring isolation and reliability. This local quality approach prevents buffer access conflicts while maintaining overall system memory efficiency.
3Productivity
If each module manages its own buffers independently, then data transmission efficiency improves through direct ownership transfer, but system-wide buffer utilization may be suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic buffer ownership transfer mechanisms where modules can directly transfer buffer ownership to receiving modules. This dynamic approach allows buffers to be efficiently utilized across different modules based on actual communication needs, improving processing efficiency while maintaining system-wide memory optimization through standardized buffer pool interfaces.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
An apparatus, system, and method are provided for a distributed function-specific buffer arrangement in a communication layer. A first module included in the layered communication architecture reserves a buffer in association with communicating a PDU. The buffer is included in a set of buffers allocated in association with the first module. The first module provides the PDU to a second module included in the layered communication architecture. Providing the PDU to the second module includes storing the PDU to the buffer and transferring ownership of the buffer to the second module. The second module accesses the PDU from a memory space associated with the buffer and releases the ownership of the buffer based on successfully accessing the PDU.