Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
  • H04L12/28—Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
  • H04L12/42—Loop networks
  • H04L12/423—Loop networks with centralised control, e.g. polling
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
  • H04L67/01—Protocols
  • H04L67/12—Protocols specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L9/00—Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols
  • H04L9/40—Network security protocols
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L69/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
  • H04L69/30—Definitions, standards or architectural aspects of layered protocol stacks
  • H04L69/32—Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
  • H04L69/322—Intralayer communication protocols among peer entities or protocol data unit [PDU] definitions
  • H04L69/329—Intralayer communication protocols among peer entities or protocol data unit [PDU] definitions in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Definitions

• the invention relates to a vehicle communication system and a method for exchanging data in a vehicle, in which data are exchanged between a plurality of different data sources connected to at least one computing unit and a plurality of operator stations connected to the computing unit.
• a vehicle communication system with a central computer for carrying out telematics applications and with interfaces is known, via which device units for transmitting and receiving data can be connected to the central computer.
• the device units are flexibly controllably assigned to the various telematics applications. With this system, a user can flexibly access different telematics applications.
• a token ring network is known from patent application EP 0 625 838 A2, which has workstations on which both conventional application programs and multimedia application programs run. The latter are generally not tolerant of delays in data exchange. For this reason, the network knows three priority levels. Before starting a multimedia application, it is checked whether the network can provide a sufficiently high data throughput.
• the international patent application WO 98/26958 relates to a fault-resistant control system for an automobile, which integrates different components.
• a master control unit manages the data flow between the components via a bus.
• the master control unit is operated with a configurable Windows operating system.
• An adaptive display for vehicles is known from patent EP 0 547 052 B1, in which information is classified and displayed on a screen in accordance with its importance.
• a navigation device is disclosed which makes a selection for the driver when a large amount of information is available. The selection is determined by a defined priority order.
• Desires of different vehicle occupants can be set individually.
• the central system control is implemented in a central computer or in another computing unit of the vehicle communication system.
• the ranking that is assigned to an operator station can either be defined uniformly for all applications or individually for each application. For example, the driver's control station can be given the highest priority with regard to a navigation device, whereas the driver can be denied access to a television receiver completely or only while driving.
• the central system controller can assign output devices to operator stations.
• Each operator station can be configured individually using the operator station control. Such a configuration is conceivable with regard to user guidance on the human-machine Interface, the assignment of running applications or their menus to the defined positions of a display device, the access right of applications to an output device of the operator station or the like.
• the application can be, for example, an application such as vehicle navigation.
• the functions route calculation, guidance information calculation, position determination by means of GPS (Global Positioning System), position determination by means of dead reckoning and optical and acoustic guidance information output are assigned to this application.
• An executable function can be implemented within a device using hardware or software.
• An application can use functions that are carried out by different devices.
• Each function preferably has a software interface for data exchange with other software or hardware interfaces.
• the central system controller has a central priority management.
• One aspect of central priority management can be, for example, the assignment of access rights for the operator stations to a data bus and / or to applications.
• Another aspect of central priority management can be the assignment of access rights for applications to the data bus or operator stations.
• the central priority management resolves any conflicts that may arise in favor of one of the actions.
• the seniority of the action is also a suitable decision criterion.
• the capacity limit or a defined threshold is reached, the data transmission of a lower-ranking application is preferably interrupted in favor of a higher-ranking application or its data transmission rate is reduced. This ensures that, for example, an automatic emergency call can be made in the event of an accident, even though the transmission capacity of the bus is completely used by other applications.
• a weighting of the access rights can be obtained from an application's priority right and the priority right of the operator station that is assigned to the Application accesses.
• the weighting can be calculated using evaluation factors which are stored in a matrix in a memory area of the computing unit.
• the graphical user interface of an operator station can be adapted to the different requirements of a particularly skilled user, a less skilled user and a child by means of default settings. For example, only meaningful symbols without labeling are available for the child, a very detailed menu with submenus for the less skilled user and short menus and keyboard shortcuts for the more experienced user.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of components of a vehicle communication system
• FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of an application distributed to the vehicle communication system
• FIG. 3 shows a user interface displayed on a screen.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle communication system in a passenger car with a variety of data sources and data sinks. It has a computing unit 1 with a freely available memory and an operating system, a navigation device 2, a gateway 3 for establishing a connection to a further vehicle bus designed as a CAN bus 14, an audio system 4 for outputting acoustic signals, a tuner 5 for reception of radio or television signals and a playback device 6 for DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and CD media (Compact Disc). Furthermore, the vehicle communication system comprises an interface 7 for connecting devices of a user, for example a portable computer, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a CD player or the like. The interface 7 has both a wired connection and a transmitter and receiver for wireless data exchange. The wireless data exchange takes place via infrared according to the IRDA standard.
• the vehicle communication system has a mobile telephone module 8 and a plurality of operator stations, of which only one operator station 9 is shown as an example.
• An operator station 9 each has input units and output units, for example a keyboard, a trackball, a microphone for a voice recording or as input means for a voice control system 10, loudspeakers, headphones and a display device 31.
• a location module 11 comprises a GPS receiver, a gyroscope and a range finder. All systems are connected to a common data bus 12 via a uniformly constructed hardware interface 13.
• the communication system is used to carry out applications, functions and services. It can access external telematics services and the Internet via the mobile phone module 8.
• An application includes at least one function that enables the user to perform services.
• a central system control 17, an operator control 20 and a priority management 19 are implemented with the computing unit 1.
• the priority management 19 has modules that are functionally assigned to the central system controller 17 and has modules that are functionally assigned to the operator station controller 20.
• Priority management 19 allows each operator station 9 to be given a priority, either in relation to the entire vehicle communication system or in relation to the individual applications.
• the priority management 19 also regulates access of the individual applications to the data bus and to the individual operator stations 9.
• the priority management 19 is expediently organized in a modular manner.
• the priority management 19 has a system-related priority management module that controls the access of the individual operator stations 9 to the applications present in the vehicle communication system, as well as a bus-related priority management module that controls the accesses and access requests of the applications to the data bus 12.
• the priority management 19 has a control center-related priority management module and, more precisely, an operator station-related priority management module for each operator station 9.
• the operator station-related priority management module is functionally assigned to operator station controller 20.
• the bus-related priority management module prevents the data bus 12 from being overloaded in order to ensure sufficient data transmission quality for all currently active applications.
• a new application or application is only permitted if suitable free bus capacities can be created at the same time by means of suitable measures.
• a high-level application is accessed, such as a traffic jam warning for the vehicle driver, one or more lower-level applications are terminated or their data transmission is reduced. Actions and applications from lower-ranking operator stations can also be ended or reduced. The latter can mean that the bus-related priority management module reduces the quality of a video transmission in order to reduce the data volume on the data bus 12.
• the bus-related priority management module takes particular account of the fact that certain data from applications, for example a telephone call, must be transmitted in real time without delay.
• the bus-related priority management module ensures that the bus capacity is only occupied up to a defined threshold, so that sufficient transmission capacity is available for particularly high-level applications, for example the automatic or manual placement of an emergency call via the cell phone module 8.
• the bus-related priority management module can be configured to determine those users, applications or actions that are switched off in the event of an excessive bus load whose data transmission is delayed or the transmission quality is deteriorated.
• the portrait management 19 further comprises a portrait master, which resolves conflicts between individual modules of the portrait management.
• the priority master is superior to the system-related, the operator-station-related and the bus-related priority management module.
• a pre-setting made above the system-related priority management module in turn has priority over the operator-related priority management module.
• a high priority defined by the system-related priority module for an “telephone” application sets the operator position-related priority management modules to a corresponding priority.
• this exemplary embodiment provides that the priority master is also superior to the central operator control 20 and the resource management described below.
• the possible conflict cases between the priority management modules are stored in a matrix and can be set by a general system configuration module.
• This general system configuration module has a pre-setting with which the vehicle communication system is delivered to an end customer. Several additional presettings can be provided ex works, so that a user has the possibility to choose between several typical options without having to carry out a configuration himself.
• the vehicle driver can be provided in a default setting that the vehicle driver receives both visual and acoustic guidance information from the navigation device 2.
• the vehicle driver is only provided with acoustic guidance information in order to avoid being distracted from the traffic situation.
• an optical representation of a road map with guidance symbols for a passenger can be provided. In this case, the vehicle driver has no right of access to the optical output of the navigation device 2.
• the interaction of the individual operator station 9 with the entire vehicle communication system, and in particular the central system controller, is regulated by an operator station controller 20.1, 20.2.
• the operator station controller 20.1, 20.2 controls the user interface of an operator station.
• the operator station control comprises modules 20.2, which are functionally assigned to the individual operator stations 9. These local modules 20.2 can be implemented in the central processing unit. In this exemplary embodiment, however, they are implemented in the individual operator stations and are managed by the central processing unit 1 by a central module 20.1, although they could also be managed by local processing units of the operator stations.
• the operator station control of an operator station 9 comprises the operator station-related priority management module and an operator station configuration module.
• the latter is a subunit of an operator management, and more precisely an operator management configuration module.
• the operator management has modules that are functionally assigned to the central system controller 17 and contains modules that are functionally assigned to the operator station controller 20.
• the operator station-related priority management module determines the priorities of the applications present in the vehicle communication system with regard to their access rights to the output devices of the operator station.
• the operational priority management module is functionally assigned to the operator control 20, but is nevertheless in a subordinate relationship to the central priority management 19, which is functionally assigned to the central system control 17.
• FIG. 2 illustrates an application 15 which uses functions 16.1 to 16.5, the functions being carried out within different devices.
• the illustrated application 15 relates to vehicle navigation.
• the navigation device 2, the locating module 11 and the audio system 4, among others, are connected via the data bus 12.
• the devices each have a hardware interface 13 with which they are physically connected to the data bus
• the functions 16.1 to 16.5 implemented in the devices each have their own software interface 18.1 to 18.5.
• the data of the hardware interfaces 13 are converted by these software interfaces into input parameters for the function 16.1 to 16.5 assigned to the respective software interface 18.1 to 18.5.
• the output parameters of the corresponding function 16.1 to 16.5 are converted into data for the other software interfaces by the software interface 18.1 to 18.5 assigned to the respective function 16.1 to 16.5
• the navigation device 2 equipped with a microprocessor provides a start menu on a display device of the requesting user.
• This start menu can be configured individually for the operator station via the operator station controller.
• function 16.3 After entering a destination, function 16.3 first determines the current location of the vehicle. For this purpose, function 16.3 accesses the locating module 11.
• the locating dul 11 includes a function 16.1 for absolute location determination by means of a GPS receiver and a function 16.2 for relative location determination by means of angle measurement and measurement of the distance traveled (dead reckoning). This data is transmitted from functions 16.1 and 16.2 via software interfaces 18.1 and 18.2 and hardware interface 13 to navigation device 2.
• Playback device provides the route network data required for the calculation of a route and calculates a suitable route to the destination.
• Function 16.4 determines driving instructions for the route determined by function 16.3. Function 16.4 outputs the driving instructions as voice information to audio system 4 in good time via data bus 12 before each maneuver to be initiated by the vehicle driver. Function 16.5 of the audio system converts the speech information into acoustic signals, amplifies it and reproduces it via loudspeakers.
• the vehicle communication system has a resource management system to control the interaction between the user interface, application and functions.
• This resource management consists of a function management module, an access conflict management module and a bus capacity management module.
• the function management module has the sub-modules
• a module can be provided for the configuration of the function management module, for example in order to be able to carry out tests by hiding a function.
• the sub-module "Functional Availability” manages a list of all functions that can be carried out in the vehicle communication system, for example the operating functions of the DVD playback device “forward”, “stop”, “playback”, “pause”, etc.
• the "Function status" sub-module contains the type of function (controlling or querying), the status of whether the function is used by an application, which application the function is used for, and from which operator station the function is used The operator station can be differentiated between the operating point (means of delivery) and the output device, this sub-module represents real system states and system properties.
• the “Function usage management” sub-module records the potential linkages between the executable functions, device units and applications as well as the operating options for a specific application.
• the “Function usage management” sub-module stores which data source can send its data to which data sinks due to the physical constraints.
• the access conflict management module has the submodules "source access”, "sink access” and "configuration of access management”.
• the access conflict management module reports conflicts that have arisen to the central port management. It therefore captures the current state of the entire vehicle communication system for the purpose of managing the location.
• the bus capacity management module has the submodules "detection of impending overload”, “detection of existing conflicts” and “configuration of the bus capacity management module".
• the results obtained are also reported by the bus capacity management module to the central priority management, as from the access conflict management module. The results are particularly relevant for bus-related priority management.
• the sub-module "Configuration of the bus capacity management module” allows the setting of threshold values, for example the threshold for an impending overload of the data bus 12.
• the bus capacity management module only determines the system history, provides an estimate of the possible subsequent state and, if necessary, issues a message or warning.
• the resource management is functionally assigned to the central system control.
• FIG. 3 illustrates the mode of operation of operator station control and operator management.
• An output device 21 of a control station provides a control surface 22 for the user.
• a field A for e-mails, a field B for traffic messages, a field C for incoming telephone calls and a field D for the output of guidance information of the “navigation” application are provided on the user interface 22.
• Inbox A shows incoming emails. Traffic messages are displayed in the inactive field B, shown in broken lines, provided that a relevant traffic message arrives in the vehicle communication system and an application or “traffic jam warning” function accesses the output device 21.
• a selection element “Call” lights up as soon as a call arrives for this operator station of the display device 21.
• the call can be accepted by triggering an operating key, a voice command or the like.
• the operator management controls the user interface. It assigns a start menu and a section on the screen to the individual applications for the individual operator station, which you can use to display them.
• the operating management has the modules “state machine”, “output of source data” and “assignment of operating to display locations”.
• the “state machine” module has the sub-modules "state machine overall system", "state machine place 1 to state machine place N". These state machines only record the real states of the vehicle communication system and not the freely definable system states.
• the "state machine overall system” stores the system states (eg “DVD playback device in operation”), the events that are to trigger a transition to new states (transition states) and the subsequent states that occur after actions have been triggered.
• the determined system states can be linked to the masks of the user interface or the information to be output to the user.
• the state machines in locations 1 to N record the relevant history of an operation and the applications that are currently being operated from the relevant operator station. In addition, all operating options available in the vehicle communication system are stored.
• the operator management configuration module has the sub-modules "overall system configuration", "operator station configuration location 1" to "operator station configuration location N". These modules only concern freely definable system states.
• the configuration modules are used to set the user interface and the operating menus. It can be set which start screen and which start menu is displayed as well as the type of operation desired by the user. The latter can be differentiated according to "advanced operation", “beginner operation” or "child-friendly operation”.
• the operator station configuration module location N "can be used to configure the operator station N individually.
• the module "Output of source data" establishes the connection between the inputs of a user and the source data that are output at the operator station and arrive, for example, via the data bus.
• the source data should be regularly displayed to the user.
• the organization of a display together with the corresponding one Operating menu or alternatively to this operating menu is effected by this module, ie source data are linked with configurable operating menus.
• the "Assignment of control panels to display spaces” module uses the "Function usage management" submodule of the resource management function management module. This ensures that only a selection of sensible combination options are provided for the user.
• the vehicle communication system is delivered from the factory with a basic setting for the assignment of the operator terminals to the output devices.
• a remote control can be assigned to a specific operator station using the "Assignment of operator stations to display stations" module.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Computing Systems (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Navigation (AREA)
• Small-Scale Networks (AREA)
• Electric Propulsion And Braking For Vehicles (AREA)
• User Interface Of Digital Computer (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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ID=7888503

Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (9)

Families Citing this family (51)

Citations (2)

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• 1998
  • 1998-11-20 DE DE19853665A patent/DE19853665B4/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-11-19 JP JP2000584363A patent/JP2002530245A/ja active Pending
  • 1999-11-19 US US09/856,321 patent/US6941194B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-11-19 EP EP99963257A patent/EP1131228B1/de not_active Revoked
  • 1999-11-19 WO PCT/DE1999/003697 patent/WO2000031606A2/de not_active Ceased
  • 1999-11-19 DE DE59911506T patent/DE59911506D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (2)

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