Vehicle Network Gateway ECU for Consistent Data Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern vehicles face discrepancies in information displayed across different internal and external terminals due to varying calculations and latencies, affecting user confidence and requiring redundant computations across multiple ECUs.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle distributed network subsystem that designates a nominated ECU for processing data, broadcasting it to multiple terminals, ensuring consistent information delivery by minimizing latency and redundant calculations, and allowing simultaneous output across different terminals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple ECUs independently calculate and display parameters on different terminals, then each ECU can process data locally, but discrepancies in displayed values occur due to different calculations, data sets, and latencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway ECU as an intermediary that centralizes the calculation and processing of vehicle parameters. This gateway ECU receives raw data from multiple sources, performs unified calculations, and distributes the processed data to multiple display terminals. This mediator approach ensures all terminals receive consistent, synchronized information while reducing the number of ECUs that need to perform complex calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the calculation functions of multiple ECUs into a single gateway ECU. Instead of having each ECU independently calculate parameters like fuel consumption, range, and CO2 emissions, these functions are consolidated in one centralized unit. This combining approach eliminates redundant calculations and ensures all terminals display identical information from the same data set.
2Productivity
If each ECU performs independent calculations, then data processing can be distributed, but redundant computations occur across multiple ECUs
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway ECU acts as an intermediary that consolidates all calculation operations in a single location. This eliminates redundant computations that would occur if multiple ECUs independently processed the same raw data. The gateway receives data once, performs necessary calculations, and distributes results to multiple terminals, significantly improving processing efficiency and reducing computational energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates redundant calculation operations across multiple ECUs by centralizing processing in the gateway ECU. The unnecessary duplicate computations are discarded, and computational resources are recovered and concentrated in the single gateway unit, leading to more efficient use of processing power and reduced energy consumption.
3Speed
If different ECUs output data to multiple terminals, then data can be distributed across the network, but varying latency causes timing discrepancies in information display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the data output function into a single gateway ECU that distributes processed data to multiple terminals simultaneously. This centralized distribution approach ensures all terminals receive the same data at the same time, eliminating latency variations that would occur if multiple ECUs independently transmitted data. The gateway acts as a single source of truth, synchronizing information delivery across all display devices.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ECUs are used for data processing, then system functionality can be distributed, but software updates and calibration become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway ECU serves as an intermediary that centralizes software management for the entire system. All calculation algorithms, processing logic, and calibration parameters are contained within the gateway, making software updates and calibrations straightforward - they only need to be applied to the single gateway unit rather than multiple distributed ECUs. This maintains system adaptability while dramatically simplifying maintenance and updates.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vehicle distributed network subsystem (20; 30; 50; 60; 70; 80; 90; 100) for providing feedback to a user comprises a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) each having an associated processor or signal conditioning device such as a filter or a gate. Two or more human-to-machine interfacing terminals provide feedback to the driver. The ECUs can communicate with one another and with said terminals over a data transmission means (6; 13; 39; 101). The data transmission means is configured to receive data from at least one data source. The subsystem is configured to define a nominated ECU (10; 32; 72) for generating processed data from data received from said data transmission means, and the subsystem is configured to deliver said processed data to each of said terminals for consistent output to the user.