Vehicle Gateway Address Conversion for Cross-Manufacturer Diagnostics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicles face challenges in effectively diagnosing malfunctions in electronic devices due to varying functional addresses set by different manufacturers, leading to incomplete message transmission and reduced user convenience.
Innovation Solution
An intermediate unit in the vehicle mediates communication by converting functional addresses based on a conversion table, ensuring messages are transmitted to all intended control units regardless of manufacturer, without requiring redesign of existing devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If functional addresses are set according to different manufacturers' specifications, then each manufacturer's control units can be identified, but messages cannot be transmitted to all control units regardless of manufacturer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary device between the communication device and control units of different manufacturers. The gateway converts functional addresses from one format to another, enabling messages to be transmitted to control units from different manufacturers without requiring each control unit to support multiple address formats. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining manufacturer-specific address formats while achieving universal compatibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If control units are redesigned to support multiple functional address formats, then compatibility with different manufacturers is improved, but manufacturing costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of redesigning control units to support multiple address formats, the patent places the address format conversion function in the gateway. This allows control units to maintain their original simple design while the gateway handles the complexity of multiple address formats, thus achieving compatibility without increasing control unit complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the address format conversion function from the control units and places it in the gateway. This separation allows control units to remain simple and manufacturer-specific, while the gateway handles the universal compatibility requirements, reducing overall system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing control units and communication devices are redesigned, then compatibility is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a cost-effective intermediary that enables cross-manufacturer compatibility without requiring expensive redesigns of existing control units and communication devices. Only the gateway needs to be equipped with address format conversion capabilities, significantly reducing manufacturing costs compared to redesigning all control units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs address format conversion in advance at the gateway before messages reach the control units. This preliminary action ensures compatibility is achieved at the communication interface level, allowing existing control units to work without modification and avoiding costly redesigns.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes first unit(s), second unit(s), and an intermediate unit. The intermediate unit is configured to mediate communication between the communication device and the first unit(s) or the second unit(s), and include intermediate unit processor(s) and intermediate unit memory(ies) coupled to the intermediate unit processor(s). The intermediate unit processor(s) are configured to: when a first message including a first functional address and a predetermined command is received from a communication device, transmit the first message to the first unit(s); when a second message including a second functional address and the command is received from the communication device, transmit the first message to the first unit(s); when the first message is received from the communication device, transmit the second message to the second unit(s); and when the second message is received from the communication device, transmit the second message including the to the second unit(s).