Portable Communication Adapter for Heterogeneous Vehicle Data Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication systems for motor vehicles are limited in that they only allow vehicles within a predetermined distance and with compatible technical requirements to participate in data exchange, restricting the scope of communication.

Innovation Solution

A portable communication adapter that can be reversibly coupled to a motor vehicle's control device via a communication interface, allowing data exchange with a vehicle-external coordination device, enabling communication between vehicles with different technical means and requirements, and triggering traffic-coordinating measures based on received warning data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a portable communication adapter is used to enable communication between vehicles with different technical means, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompatibility with different vehicle technical meansVSAvoidcommunication interface requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The portable communication adapter serves as an intermediary device that bridges vehicles with different technical communication capabilities. It includes a communication interface unit with multiple interface types (first communication interface for V2X communication, second communication interface for vehicle internal communication) that translates and mediates between incompatible communication protocols, enabling heterogeneous vehicles to participate in the same communication network without requiring each vehicle to support all communication standards.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If data is transmitted directly from vehicle to coordination device, then communication speed is improved, but security deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission speedVSAvoiddata transmission security
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary authentication and authorization actions before data transmission occurs. The communication interface unit authenticates the portable device and verifies its communication rights in advance. Additionally, the system buffers incoming data in a buffer memory unit before processing and forwarding it to the coordination device, which prevents unauthorized or malicious data from being immediately transmitted while maintaining system security protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If authentication and buffering mechanisms are implemented, then security is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission securityVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Authentication is performed preliminarily when the portable communication adapter connects to the vehicle's communication system, before actual data transmission begins. This upfront authentication establishes security credentials and permissions in advance, so that subsequent data transmissions can proceed more efficiently without repeated authentication delays.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The buffer memory unit continuously receives and stores incoming data from the vehicle's control units while authentication and processing operations occur. This buffering mechanism ensures that data flow remains continuous and uninterrupted, preventing idle time in the transmission pipeline while security checks are performed on individual data packets or batches.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentEP3942851B1Communication system with a communication adapter and a coordinating device and communication adapter, coordinating device and method for carrying out a communication
Publication Date: 2023.05.10 AUDI AG
  • EP3942851B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3942851B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a communications system (10) comprising a motor vehicle (12), a portable communications adapter (14) which is separate from the vehicle and can be reversibly coupled to a control device (18) of the motor vehicle (12) by means of a communications interface (20), and a vehicle-external coordination device (16). According to the invention, the communications adapter (14) is designed to receive motor vehicle data (22) describing traffic behaviour and/or a traffic environment of the motor vehicle (12) from the control device (18), wherein the communications adapter (14) has a transmitting-receiving unit (24) and is designed such that, by means of the transmitting-receiving unit (24), it both transmits the motor vehicle data (22) to the vehicle-external coordination device (16) and receives warning data (32) generated by the vehicle-external coordination device (16) and describing traffic behaviour and/or a traffic environment of at least one other motor vehicle (30), and such that it triggers at least one traffic-coordinating measure on the basis of the warning data (32).