# US 12,010,039 B2 · Vehicle network and method of communication

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- Number: US 12,010,039 B2
- Document ID: US12010039B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/145,543
- Filed: 2022-12-22
- Published: 2023-08-03
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-22
- Assignees: Tesla, Inc.
- Applicants: Tesla, Inc.
- Inventors: Adnan Esmail; Prashant Joshi; Sundar Balasubramaniam; Brijesh Tripathi; Gaurav Chandra
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12010039B2

## CPC

- H04L 47/805: {QOS or priority aware}
- H04J 3/0652: {Synchronisation among time division multiple access [TDMA] nodes, e.g. time triggered protocol [TTP] (bus network with centralized control in which slots are of a TDMA packet structure H04L12/4035)}
- H04J 3/1694: {Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers (Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062)}
- H04L 12/40163: {by assigning priority to messages according to a message field}
- H04L 47/722: at the destination endpoint, e.g. reservation of terminal resources or buffer space
- H04L 47/801: {Real time traffic}
- H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S)

## Abstract

A method of communication in a vehicle network is provided. An example method includes transmitting a network allocation map in a TDMA cycle, indicating reservation of time slots in the TDMA cycle. The method further includes transmitting a synchronization signal in the TDMA cycle, to synchronize the timing of nodes in the vehicle network. Each of the reserved time slots is identified by at least a network ID of a transmitting node in the vehicle network, and a slot type comprising one of a low latency traffic slot, and a bulk traffic slot. Further, the low latency traffic slots are repeated in the TDMA cycle at least as frequently as a guaranteed QoS latency parameter. Further, the bulk traffic slots are at least as long as a guaranteed QoS throughput parameter.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of communication in a vehicle network, the method comprising:
receiving, at a node, a network allocation map in a time division multiple access (TDMA) cycle, the network allocation map comprising time slots identified as low latency traffic slots or bulk traffic slots, the low latency traffic slots having a first latency guarantee of 500 microseconds or less, and the bulk traffic slots having a second latency guarantee of 40 milliseconds or less;
identifying, from the network allocation map, time slots reserved for transmission by the node;
buffering data to be transmitted; and
during at least one time slot reserved for transmission by the node, transmitting the buffered data.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a synchronization signal in the TDMA cycle; and
adjusting a timing circuitry of the node, based on the received synchronization signal, to synchronize timing of the node.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
upon non-identification of a time slot reservation for transmission by the node, the node excluding itself from transmitting the buffered data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the time slots reserved for transmission by the node comprises:
accessing a pre-programmed memory storing a network identifier (ID) of the node; and
using the network ID of the node to identify the time slots reserved for transmission by the node, from the network allocation map.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a network ID of the node from a host; and
saving the network ID into a memory of the node.

### Claim 6

A system for communication in a vehicle network, the system comprising:
at least one processor programmed to:
receive, at a node, a network allocation map in a time division multiple access (TDMA) cycle, the network allocation map comprising time slots identified as low latency traffic slots or bulk traffic slots, the low latency traffic slots having a first latency guarantee of 500 microseconds or less, and the bulk traffic slots having a second latency guarantee of 40 milliseconds or less;
identify, from the network allocation map, time slots reserved for transmission by the node;
buffer data to be transmitted; and
during at least one time slot reserved for transmission by the node, transmit the buffered data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:
receive a synchronization signal in the TDMA cycle; and
adjust a timing circuitry of the node, based on the received synchronization signal, to synchronize timing of the node.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:
upon non-identification of a time slot reservation for transmission by the node, exclude the node from transmitting the buffered data.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein, when identifying the time slots reserved for transmission by the node, the at least one processor is programmed to:
access a pre-programmed memory storing a network identifier (ID) of the node; and
use the network ID of the node to identify the time slots reserved for transmission by the node, from the network allocation map.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:
receive a network ID of the node from a host; and
save the network ID into a memory of the node.

### Claim 11

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at a node, a network allocation map in a time division multiple access (TDMA) cycle, the network allocation map comprising time slots identified as low latency traffic slots or bulk traffic slots, the low latency traffic slots having a first latency guarantee of 500 microseconds or less, and the bulk traffic slots having a second latency guarantee of 40 milliseconds or less;
identifying, from the network allocation map, time slots reserved for transmission by the node;
buffering data to be transmitted; and
during at least one time slot reserved for transmission by the node, transmitting the buffered data.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
receive a synchronization signal in the TDMA cycle; and
adjust a timing circuitry of the node, based on the received synchronization signal, to synchronize timing of the node.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
upon non-identification of a time slot reservation for transmission by the node, exclude the node from transmitting the buffered data.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions that cause the one or more processors to identify the time slots reserved for transmission by the node cause the one or more processors to:
access a pre-programmed memory storing a network identifier (ID) of the node; and
use the network ID of the node to identify the time slots reserved for transmission by the node, from the network allocation map.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
receive a network ID of the node from a host; and
save the network ID into a memory of the node.