System, method, and apparatus to support mixed network communications on a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12058003-B2
Application number	US-202217675340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2022
Priority date	Sep 20, 2019
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

An example system includes a vehicle having a first network and a second network of a different type than the first network; and a converged network device (CND) interposed between the first network and the second network and comprising a plurality of ports on the first network; wherein: the CND facilitates communications between the first and the second networks; and a first port of the plurality mirrors a second port of the plurality.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a vehicle having a first network and a second network of a different type than the first network;
a converged network device (CND) interposed between the first network and the second network and comprising a plurality of ports on the first network; and

a sensor device external to the vehicle;
wherein:
the CND facilitates communications between the first and the second networks;
a first port of the plurality mirrors a second port of the plurality;
the CND is structured to, based at least in part on a port selection command value from the sensor device, assign:
which port, of the plurality of ports, is the first port; and/or
which port, of the plurality of ports, is the second port; and

the sensor device is structured to monitor a flow between end points on at least one of the first or second networks via communicatively coupling with the first port.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first port of the plurality mirrors a third port of the plurality.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor device is structured to monitor one or more devices on the first and/or the second networks via communicatively coupling with the first port.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the CND is further structured to:
assign a first device, of a plurality of devices on the second network, to a first assigned port of the plurality of ports;
identify communications data on the second network corresponding to the first device; and
transmit the identified communications data corresponding to the first device on the first network via the first assigned port.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the CND is further structured to:
assign a second device, of the plurality of devices on the second network, to the second assigned port of the plurality of ports;
identify communications data on the second network corresponding to the second device; and
transmit the identified communications data corresponding to the second device on the first network via the second assigned port.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the CND is further structured to:
assign a second device, of the plurality of devices on the second network, to the first assigned port;
identify communications data on the second network corresponding to the second device; and
transmit the identified communications data corresponding to the second device on the first network via the first assigned port.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the CND further comprises an Ethernet switch that includes the plurality of ports.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first network is Ethernet based.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second network is controller area network (CAN) based.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first network is Ethernet based and the second network is controller area network (CAN) based.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a first network interface circuit having a plurality of ports structured to interpret first communications data of a first network onboard a vehicle;
a second network interface circuit structured to interpret second communications data of a second network onboard the vehicle, the second network of a different type than the first network;
a translation circuit structured to relay the second communications data to the first network interface circuit for transmissions on the first network via at least one port of the plurality; and
a configuration circuit structured to:
interpret a port selection command value from a sensor device external to the vehicle; and
in response to, and based at least on part on, the port selection command value, assign:
which port, of the plurality of ports, is the first port; and/or
which port, of the plurality of ports, is the second port;

wherein the first port of the plurality mirrors the second port of the plurality to provide for the sensor device to monitor a flow between end points on at least one of the first or second networks via communicatively coupling with the first port.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the configuration circuit is further structured to:
interpret a port assignment command value that identifies both an assigned port, of the plurality of ports, and a device on the second network;
identify portions of the second communications data corresponding to the identified device; and
transmit the identified portions of the second communications data via the assigned port.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first communications data is Ethernet based.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second communications data is controller area network (CAN) based.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first communications data is Ethernet based and the second communications data is controller area network (CAN) based.

16. A method comprising:
interpreting, via a plurality of ports of a converged network device (CND), first communications data of a first network onboard a vehicle;
interpreting, via the CND, second communications data of a second network onboard a vehicle, the second network of a different type than the first network;
relaying, via the CND, the second communications data to the first network via the plurality of ports;
interpreting, from a sensor device external to the vehicle, a port selection command value;
in response to, and based at least in part on, the port selection command value, assigning:
which port, of the plurality of ports, is a first port; and/or
which port, of the plurality of ports, is the second port; and

mirroring the first port of the plurality via the second port of the plurality to provide for the a sensor device external to the vehicle to monitor a flow between end points on at least one of the first or second networks via communicatively coupling with the first port.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising;
interpreting a port assignment command value that identifies both an assigned port, of the plurality of ports, and a device on the second network;
identifying portions of the second communications data corresponding to the identified device; and
transmitting the identified portions of the second communications data via the assigned port.

Assignees

• Sonatus Inc

Inventors

• Fang Yu
• Chen Yixiang
• Zong Xuanran
• Reed Robin

Classifications

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title

• H04W12/67

  Risk-dependent, e.g. selecting a security level depending on risk profiles · CPC title

• H04W12/086

  using security domains · CPC title

• H04L61/4511

  using domain name system [DNS] · CPC title

• H04L43/0876

  Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level · CPC title