Facilitating communication with automotive vehicle buses

A method for a server for facilitating communication with one or more vehicle buses, the method comprising actions of:

• receiving a generic data request from an entity, the generic data request requesting vehicle data in a generic format from a target vehicle, the target vehicle being a specific vehicle type;
• translating the generic data request to a vehicle-specific data request using at least one entry of a vehicle model database, the at least one entry directed to the specific vehicle type;
• and
• sending the vehicle-specific data request to the target vehicle.

A method for a server for facilitating communication with one or more vehicle buses, the method comprising actions of:

• receiving a vehicle-specific data response from a vehicle, the vehicle-specific data response including vehicle-specific data originating from one or more vehicle buses of the vehicle;
• translating the vehicle-specific data originating from the one or more vehicle buses as received in the vehicle-specific data response into generic data for a generic data response;
• and
• sending the generic data response to an entity.

A system for facilitating communication with one or more vehicle buses, the system comprising:

• one or more vehicle buses that are capable of propagating vehicle data in accordance with at least one protocol;
• and
• a vehicle gateway device in operative communication with the one or more vehicle buses;
• the vehicle gateway device capable of receiving a vehicle-specific data request that enables the vehicle gateway device to monitor the one or more vehicle buses and to detect desired vehicle-specific data, the vehicle gateway device adapted to formulate a vehicle-specific data response that includes the desired vehicle-specific data.

A vehicle gateway device comprising:

• at least one interface for communicating with one or more vehicle buses, the one or more vehicle buses capable of propagating vehicle data in accordance with a vehicle-specific format;
• and
• wherein the vehicle gateway device is capable of receiving vehicle-specific data requests from a vehicle gateway server and sending vehicle-specific data responses to the vehicle gateway server, each vehicle-specific data request including vehicle data in the vehicle-specific format;
• the vehicle gateway device adapted to detect vehicle data in the vehicle-specific format on the one or more vehicle buses via the at least one interface based on each vehicle-specific data request and configured to formulate each vehicle-specific data response using the detected vehicle data in the vehicle-specific format.

A vehicle gateway device comprising:

• one or more packet handlers that are adapted to accept vehicle-specific data requests that include requested vehicle data in a vehicle-specific data format, to perform packet manipulations on the vehicle-specific data requests to produce packets suitable for placement on one or more vehicle buses, and to place the packets on the one or more vehicle buses;
• the one or more packet handlers further adapted to detect vehicle data in the vehicle-specific data format as requested in the vehicle-specific data requests in packets monitored on the one more vehicle buses, to perform packet manipulations on the monitored packets to produce packets suitable for transmission as vehicle-specific data responses, and to transmit the vehicle-specific data responses;
• and
• wherein the one or more packet handlers are configured to perform the packet manipulations without translation of the requested vehicle data in the vehicle-specific data format or of the detected vehicle data in the vehicle-specific data format.

An arrangement for facilitating communication with one or more vehicle buses, the arrangement comprising:

• communication means for receiving vehicle-specific data requests and for transmitting vehicle-specific data responses, the vehicle-specific data requests and the vehicle-specific data responses including vehicle data in a vehicle-specific format;
• interface means for interfacing with one or more vehicle buses, the interface means capable of placing packets on and taking packets off the one or more vehicle buses, the packets including vehicle data in the vehicle-specific format;
• and
• manipulating means for manipulating the vehicle-specific data requests and the vehicle-specific data responses in connection with the packets placed on and taken off the one or more vehicle buses such that the vehicle data in the vehicle-specific format is forwarded between the communication means and the interface means without performing a translation on the vehicle data in the vehicle-specific format.

An apparatus for facilitating communication with one or more vehicle buses, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• one or more media in operative communication with the one or more processors, the one or more media storing electronically-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising:
• receiving a vehicle-specific data request that indicates desired vehicle data in a vehicle-specific data format;
• detecting the desired vehicle data in the vehicle-specific data format on one or more vehicle buses;
• and
• transmitting the desired vehicle data in the vehicle-specific data format in a vehicle-specific data response.

A system for facilitating communication with one or more vehicle buses, the system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• one or more media in operative communication with the one or more processors, the one or more media including:
• a vehicle model database that associates specific vehicle types with available vehicle data;
• and
• electronically-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising:
• translating requested vehicle data in a generic format into requested vehicle data in a vehicle-specific format using the vehicle model database;
• and
• translating desired vehicle data in the vehicle-specific format into desired vehicle data in the generic format using the vehicle model database.

A vehicle gateway server system comprising:

• a vehicle model database that provides correspondences between generic data and vehicle-specific data formats in association with specific vehicle types;
• translation logic that translates generic data from a generic data request into a vehicle-specific data format for a vehicle-specific data request using the vehicle model database;
• a vehicle instance database that establishes an association between (i) at least one of a vehicle and an owner of the vehicle and (ii) authorization information, the authorization information indicating what generic data requests are authorized;
• and
• authorization logic that authorizes or rejects the generic data request based on the authorization information.

One or more electronically-accessible media comprising a database that may be accessed, altered, and/or used electronically, the database comprising:

• a first entry that is directed to a first specific vehicle type, the first entry including:
• a first field that draws a correspondence between a first piece of generic data and a first vehicle-specific data format;
• and
• a second field that draws a correspondence between a second piece of generic data and a second vehicle-specific data format;
• and
• a second entry that is directed to a second specific vehicle type, the second entry including:
• a third field that draws a correspondence between a third piece of generic data and a third vehicle-specific data format;
• and
• a fourth field that draws a correspondence between a fourth piece of generic data and a fourth vehicle-specific data format.