Vehicle Controller Virtual Machine Diagnostics
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Solution Overview
Problem
The inefficiency of traditional vehicle diagnostic systems due to duplication of DoIP stacks across multiple ECUs, leading to increased complexity and time for diagnostic procedures, especially in modern vehicles with a large number of ECUs.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle controller with multiple virtual machines, where a diagnostic module acts as a single point of communication between the diagnostic tool and vehicle services, allowing for efficient diagnostic functions across multiple virtual machines without the need for dedicated diagnostic modules for each ECU.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each ECU has its own DoIP stack, then diagnostic communication can be established with each ECU, but code duplication occurs and diagnostic complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple DoIP stacks into a single DoIP stack at the gateway level. Instead of each ECU having its own DoIP stack, the gateway provides a unified DoIP interface that routes diagnostic communications to the appropriate ECUs. This merging eliminates code duplication while maintaining the ability to communicate with all ECUs, directly resolving the contradiction between diagnostic capability and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary between the diagnostic tool and multiple ECUs. It provides a single DoIP stack that mediates all diagnostic communications, routing requests to the appropriate target ECU. This intermediary approach allows comprehensive diagnostic access without requiring each ECU to have its own DoIP stack, thereby reducing complexity while preserving communication reliability.
2Ease of operation
If multiple DoIP stacks are used across various control systems, then each ECU can be accessed independently, but the time for diagnostic requests increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple DoIP stacks into a single gateway-level stack, the system eliminates the time overhead of managing multiple separate communication protocols. The unified DoIP stack processes diagnostic requests more efficiently by centralizing protocol handling and routing, reducing the total time required for diagnostic operations while maintaining the ability to access any ECU independently through the gateway's routing capability.
3Productivity
If each ECU is hosted on a separate processor, then diagnostic functions can be distributed, but code duplication occurs when multiple DoIP stacks are run on the same processor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the DoIP stack functionality into a single implementation at the gateway, eliminating redundant code that would otherwise exist in multiple ECUs. This single DoIP stack serves all ECUs through routing, preventing code duplication while maintaining distributed diagnostic capabilities. The gateway's unified implementation is more efficient than having separate DoIP stacks in each ECU or virtual machine.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway's single DoIP stack is designed to be universal, capable of communicating with multiple different ECUs through routing. This multi-functional approach allows one DoIP stack to perform the role of multiple stacks, eliminating the need for duplicate code while maintaining the ability to access and diagnose all ECUs in the system.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present invention relate to a vehicle controller comprising at least two virtual machines being hosted on the vehicle controller. The vehicle controller comprises an input for receiving a diagnostic command from a diagnostic tool. Furthermore, the controller comprises a first virtual machine hosted on the vehicle controller comprising a diagnostic module and a second virtual machine hosted on the vehicle controller comprising a vehicle service comprising diagnostic data. The diagnostic module is configured to initiate a diagnostic function on the vehicle service upon receipt of a diagnostic command at the input. The controller further comprises an output configured to output a diagnostic signal indicative of a result of the diagnostic function to the diagnostic tool.