Method and a system for establishing a connection between an on-board vehicle network service and an external application

A non-transitory storage medium carrying computer instructions, the computer instructions configured to, when executed, by a computer:

• define an external hotspot device as a trusted hotspot device, the trusted hotspot device being in communication with the vehicle gateway, the vehicle gateway facilitating communication between the trusted hotspot device and the vehicle network, the vehicle network being arranged on-board the vehicle and comprising a node, the vehicle comprising the vehicle network and the vehicle gateway, the trusted hotspot device being configured to communicate with a remote server through the internet;
• receive a request in the trusted hotspot device from an application for access to a vehicle network service offered by the node of the vehicle network, the application being downloaded from the remote server through the internet and located on the trusted hotspot device;
• determine in the vehicle gateway that the requested vehicle network service offered by the node is available on the vehicle network;
• and
• configure the vehicle gateway to allow the requesting application to communicate with the requested vehicle network service, based on the determination that the requested vehicle network service is available on the vehicle network;
• wherein configuring the vehicle gateway to allow the requesting application to communicate with the requested vehicle network service comprises comparing the requesting application with a predetermined list of approved applications, and allowing the requesting application to communicate with the requested vehicle network service based on a determination that the requesting application is on the predetermined list of approved applications.

A vehicle communication system for establishing a connection between a vehicle network service and an external application, the system comprising:

• a vehicle gateway arranged in the vehicle, the vehicle gateway facilitating communication between a trusted hotspot device and a vehicle network, the vehicle network being arranged on-board the vehicle and comprising a node, the vehicle comprising the vehicle network and the vehicle gateway;
• an external hotspot device external to and separate from the vehicle, wherein the vehicle gateway is configured to define the external hotspot device as a trusted hotspot device, the trusted hotspot device being in communication with the vehicle gateway, the trusted hotspot device being configured to communicate with a remote server through the internet;
• and
• an application configured to make a request for access to the vehicle network service, the vehicle network service offered by the node of the vehicle network, the request received by the trusted hotspot device, the application being downloaded from the remote server through the internet and located on the trusted hotspot device,
• wherein the vehicle gateway is configured to make a determination that the requested vehicle network service offered by the node is available on the vehicle network and the vehicle gateway is further configured to allow the requesting application to communicate with the requested vehicle network service, based on the determination that the requested vehicle network service offered by the node is available on the vehicle network,
• wherein configuring the vehicle gateway to allow the requesting application to communicate with the node offering the requested vehicle network service comprises comparing the requesting application with a predetermined list of approved applications, and allowing the requesting application to communicate with the requested vehicle network service based on a determination that the requesting application is on the predetermined list of approved applications.