Vehicle-Cloud Application Distribution for Offline Function Availability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle systems face limitations in flexibility and availability of complex functions due to partial outsourcing of applications to external servers, leading to reduced functionality when communication is unavailable and requiring specific hardware/software development.

Innovation Solution

A distributed computing system that allows applications to be executed partially on vehicle-side computing units and the cloud, with a control unit dynamically deciding the distribution based on availability and resource utilization, ensuring compatibility and context availability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If applications are partially outsourced to external servers, then computing power requirements are reduced, but function availability decreases when communication is unavailable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomputing powerVSAvoidfunction availability
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically distributes application execution between vehicle-side computing units and cloud computing units based on communication availability and resource utilization. When communication is available, computing tasks are outsourced to the cloud; when communication is unavailable, execution switches to vehicle-side units, ensuring continuous function availability while optimizing computing power usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of manufacture

If applications are executed separately in vehicle or cloud, then computing resources can be specialized, but system flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespecialized hardware/software developmentVSAvoidsystem flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The computing system is designed with universal compatibility, allowing the same application to be executed on both vehicle-side computing units and cloud computing units. This multi-functionality enables specialized development for each platform while maintaining the flexibility to switch between them based on communication conditions and resource availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3616182B1Computing system and method for operating a computing system
Publication Date: 2025.11.12 AUDI AG
  • EP3616182B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

The invention relates to a computing system (1) comprising at least one computing device (2) of at least one motor vehicle (3), and a cloud (4) comprising at least one computing device (5), at least one application (12) calculating output data from input data being implemented in a divided manner at least partially by the motor vehicle computing device (2) and at least partially on the cloud side.