Vehicle Interface Gateway for Cross-Protocol Data Conversion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle communication systems face incompatibility issues due to different communication formats used by native and third-party services or applications, preventing seamless data exchange and functionality between systems.

Innovation Solution

A data conversion system featuring an interface gateway device that converts messages from one format to another, enabling communication between systems with different proprietary formats, thereby facilitating data exchange and functionality across various vehicle components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If different communication protocols and formats are used by native and third-party services, then system versatility and functionality are improved, but compatibility and ability to exchange data between systems deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem functionalityVSAvoiddata exchange compatibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an interface gateway as an intermediary component that sits between data acquisition modules using first communication protocols and client modules using second communication protocols. The gateway translates messages between different formats, enabling third-party services to integrate with native vehicle systems without requiring changes to either side's proprietary protocols, thus resolving the compatibility issue while maintaining system versatility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The interface gateway is designed to handle multiple communication protocols and formats simultaneously, making it a universal translator that can accommodate various third-party services and native systems. This multi-functional approach allows a single gateway to support diverse data exchange requirements across different vehicle systems, improving overall system compatibility

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

2Ease of manufacture

If proprietary communication formats are used by different systems, then each system can maintain its own optimized data structure, but the complexity of integrating multiple systems increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem optimizationVSAvoidintegration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

By positioning the interface gateway as a dedicated translation layer, the patent isolates integration complexity from the individual systems. Each system can maintain its optimized proprietary format without needing to understand or accommodate other systems' formats, as the gateway handles the translation complexity centrally

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the communication architecture into distinct components: data acquisition modules, interface gateway, and client modules. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while the gateway handles the integration complexity, reducing the overall system integration burden

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9229963B2Data conversion system and method for converting data that is distributed in a vehicle
Publication Date: 2016.01.05 TRANSPORTATION IP HOLDINGS LLC

AI summary

A data conversion system for a vehicle includes an interface gateway device that is configured to be communicatively coupled with a data acquisition module and a client module. The data acquisition module obtains a value of a data parameter related to operation of the vehicle and communicates the value to the interface gateway device in a first message provided in a first format. The interface gateway device is configured to convert the first format of the first message into a different, second format to form a second message and to communicate the second message to the client module. The client module uses the second message to perform a function for the vehicle.