Visualization of intra-vehicular communications networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019052543-A1
Application number	US-201715719921-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Feb 14, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses are presented for computer-assisted visualization of network devices. One example involves receiving a plurality of standardized network description files describing a plurality of vehicular communication networks connecting a plurality of electronic control units (ECU) for a vehicle. Each of the plurality of standardized network description files may describe a vehicular communication network in the plurality of vehicular communication networks. Each vehicular communication network may comprise a subset of the plurality of ECUs and one or more network communications paths interconnecting the subset of ECUs. The example can further involve automatically generating, based on the standardized network description files, a visual topology representation of the plurality of vehicular communication networks connecting to the plurality of ECUs. The visual topology representation may include at least one ECU connected to at least two vehicular communication networks in the plurality of vehicular communication networks.

First claim

1 . A method for computer-assisted visualization of network devices, comprising:
receiving a plurality of standardized network description files describing a plurality of vehicular communication networks connecting a plurality of electronic control units (ECU) for a vehicle, each of the plurality of standardized network description files describing a vehicular communication network in the plurality of vehicular communication networks, each vehicular communication network comprising a subset of the plurality of ECUs and one or more network communications paths interconnecting the subset of ECUs; and automatically generating, based on the standardized network description files, a visual topology representation of the plurality of vehicular communication networks connecting to the plurality of ECUs, the visual topology representation including at least one ECU connected to at least two vehicular communication networks in the plurality of vehicular communication networks.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an input from a user to select a network message defined by one or more of the standardized network description files; generating a visual signal path representation for the selected network message, the visual signal path representation illustrating (1) an originating ECU, (2) at least one destination ECU, and (3) a plurality of routes connecting the originating ECU to the at least one destination ECU through at least a portion of the plurality of vehicular communication networks.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of routes connecting the originating ECU to the at least one destination ECU traverses one or more intermediate ECUs.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of routes connecting the originating ECU to the at least one destination ECU includes (1) a current route and (2) one or more alternative routes.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
generating a visual message representation for the selected network message, the visual message representation illustrating a plurality of fields of the selected network message.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving an input from the user to modify a particular field in the plurality of fields of the selected network message; in response to the input from the user to modify the particular field, altering at least one route in the plurality of routes.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
automatically generating one or more modified standardized network description files, the modified standard network description files describing the at least one route in the plurality of routes altered in response to the input from the user to modify the particular field.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
automatically generating software code for one or more of the plurality of ECUs based on the one or more modified standardized network description files.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vehicular communication networks includes at least one controller area network (CAN).

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vehicular communication networks includes at least one local interconnect network (LIN).

11 . A computer-readable memory storing a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions comprising:
instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive a plurality of standardized network description files describing a plurality of vehicular communication networks connecting a plurality of electronic control units (ECU) for a vehicle, each of the plurality of standardized network description files describing a vehicular communication network in the plurality of vehicular communication networks, each vehicular communication network comprising a subset of the plurality of ECUs and one or more network communications paths interconnecting the subset of ECUs; and instructions that cause the one or more processors to automatically generate, based on the standardized network description files, a visual topology representation of the plurality of vehicular communication networks connecting to the plurality of ECUs, the visual topology representation including at least one ECU connected to at least two vehicular communication networks in the plurality of vehicular communication networks.

12 . The computer-readable memory of claim 11 , the plurality of instructions further comprising:
instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive an input from a user to select a network message defined by one or more of the standardized network description files; instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate a visual signal path representation for the selected network message, the visual signal path representation illustrating (1) an originating ECU, (2) at least one destination ECU, and (3) a plurality of routes connecting the originating ECU to the at least one destination ECU through at least a portion of the plurality of vehicular communication networks.

13 . The computer-readable memory of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plurality of routes connecting the originating ECU to the at least one destination ECU traverses one or more intermediate ECUs.

14 . The computer-readable memory of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of routes connecting the originating ECU to the at least one destination ECU includes (1) a current route and (2) one or more alternative routes.

15 . The computer-readable memory of claim 12 , the plurality of instructions further comprising:
instructions that cause the one or more processors to generate a visual message representation for the selected network message, the visual message representation illustrating a plurality of fields of the selected network message.

16 . The computer-readable memory of claim 15 , the plurality of instructions further comprising:
instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive an input from the user to modify a particular field in the plurality of fields of the selected network message; instructions that cause the one or more processors to, in response to the input from the user to modify the particular field, alter at least one route in the plurality of routes.

17 . The computer-readable memory of claim 16 , the plurality of instructions further comprising:
instructions that cause the one or more processors to automatically generate one or more modified standardized network description files, the modified standard network description files describing the at least one route in the plurality of routes altered in response to the input from the user to modify the particular field.

18 . The computer-readable memory of claim 17 , the plurality of instructions further comprising:
instructions that cause the one or more processors to automatically generate software code for one or more of the plurality of ECUs based on the one or more modified standardized network description files.

19 . An apparatus for computer-assisted visualization of network devices, comprising:
at least one processor configured to receive a plurality of standardized network description files describing a plurality of vehicular communication networks connecting a plurality of electronic control units (ECU) for a vehicle, each of the plurality of standardized network description files describing a vehicular communication network in the plurality of vehicular communication networks, each vehicular communication network comp

Assignees

• Faraday&Future Inc

Inventors

• Bansal Abhijit
• Chidester Douglas D
• Deng Shan
• Fernando Jana Mahen
• Lubbers Matthew K

Classifications

• H04L41/22 Primary

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• H04L2012/40273

  the transportation system being a vehicle · CPC title

• H04L41/0883

  Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system · CPC title

• H04L2012/40234

  Local Interconnect Network LIN · CPC title

• H04L12/40

  Bus networks · CPC title