Vehicle Sensor Data Interface Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle sensor systems face challenges in efficiently managing and synchronizing high-rate sampled sensor data with electronic control unit (ECU) status data due to the high data rates and large amounts of data involved, making it difficult to determine time synchronization relationships and requiring large internal memory buffers.
Innovation Solution
A data interface arrangement with separate connections for sampled sensor signal data and ECU status data, where synchronization segments are interleaved with ECU status data to enable time synchronization by an external analysis device, utilizing noise components in the sampled sensor signal data for synchronization, and incorporating coarse time stamps from a free-running timer for efficient synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If sampled sensor signal data is transported over a single data connection with ECU status data, then data transport is simplified, but time synchronization between high-rate sensor data and ECU status data becomes difficult to determine
Solution Approach 1:
The data transport system is segmented into two separate data connections: one for sampled sensor signal data and another for ECU status data. This segmentation allows each connection to be optimized for its specific data type while enabling independent timing control, thereby resolving the contradiction between connection simplicity and synchronization accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Synchronization segments are introduced as intermediary elements that are interleaved with ECU status data on the second data connection. These synchronization segments serve as reference markers that enable the external analysis device to establish accurate time synchronization between the two asynchronous data streams without requiring complex timestamp processing.
2Measurement precision
If sampled sensor signal data is stored in buffers for analysis, then time synchronization with ECU status data is enabled, but large internal memory buffers are required which increases device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization function is extracted from the ECU's internal memory buffer system and relocated to the external analysis device. By transporting synchronization segments through the second data connection, the external device can perform time synchronization without requiring the ECU to maintain large internal buffers, thereby reducing ECU complexity while preserving synchronization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Synchronization segments are prepared in advance and interleaved with ECU status data before transmission. This preliminary action ensures that synchronization information is always available at the external analysis device, eliminating the need for large internal buffers to store historical data for synchronization purposes.
3Productivity
If high-rate sampled sensor data is transported asynchronously from ECU status data, then data transport efficiency is improved, but time synchronization between the two data streams becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
Synchronization segments act as intermediary reference markers embedded within the ECU status data stream. These segments provide temporal anchors that enable the external analysis device to accurately synchronize the asynchronous sampled sensor data and ECU status data streams, maintaining both efficiency and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronization segments provide feedback information about the timing relationship between the two data streams. The external analysis device uses this feedback to dynamically adjust and maintain accurate time synchronization despite the asynchronous nature of the data transport, thereby resolving the contradiction between efficiency and precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
A data interface arrangement for vehicle sensor data analysis by an external analysis device, the data interface arrangement comprising a first data connection arranged to transport sampled sensor signal data and a second data connection arranged to transport electronic control unit, ECU, status data, wherein the sampled sensor signal data comprises a noise component, wherein the second data connection is configured to transport synchronization segments interleaved with the ECU status data, wherein the synchronization segments correspond to respective segments of the sampled sensor signal data, thereby enabling time synchronization between the sampled sensor signal data and the ECU status data by the external device based on the interleaved synchronization segments.