US 8,527,147 B2 · Methods and systems for automatic detection of vehicle configuration

Abstract

A method for automatically detecting a control signal configuration of a vehicle component includes making a connection to a channel of the component, performing an electrical measurement on the channel, and identifying a control signal configuration based upon the measurement. A method for sending control signals from one vehicle component to another includes making a connection on a channel of one component, making a connection to a channel of the other component, performing electrical measurements on the channels, identifying control signal configurations based upon the measurements, and configuring a control signal interface. A control signal interface includes an input unit, a signal processing unit, and an output unit. The input and output units each can connect to a channel of a vehicle component and perform an electrical measurement. The signal processing unit can determine control commands based upon control signals.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for automatically detecting a configuration of a vehicle using an auto-detection apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying, by the auto-detection apparatus, a frame rate of a data bus of the vehicle, wherein the auto-detection apparatus includes:
an input unit electrically connectable to at least one channel of the data bus of the vehicle;
a storage unit that stores information including:
(i) data bus configuration information corresponding to a plurality of vehicle data busses, and (ii) vehicle configuration information corresponding to a plurality of vehicles;
and
a signal processing unit coupled to the input unit;
identifying, by the auto-detection apparatus, a data bus configuration of the data bus of the vehicle based at least partially on the identified frame rate and the data bus configuration information stored in the storage unit of the auto-detection apparatus;
and
identifying, by the auto-detection apparatus, the configuration of the vehicle based at least partially on the identified data bus configuration and the vehicle configuration information stored in the storage unit of the auto-detection apparatus.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods and systems for automatic detection of vehicle configuration

Life of this patent

Methods and systems for automatic detection of vehicle configuration

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17