Unified vehicle network frame protocol

1. A vehicle communication network comprises:

a plurality of vehicle control modules;

a network fabric, wherein the network fabric comprises:

a first sub-network fabric operably coupled to a first subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules;

a second sub-network fabric operably coupled to a second subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules; and

a data bridge operably coupled to facilitate communication between the first and second sub-network fabrics, wherein the first subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules are coupled to the second sub-network fabric through the data bridge and wherein the second subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules is coupled to the first sub-network fabric through the data bridge; memory operably coupled to the network fabric; and

a network manager operably coupled to the network fabric, wherein the network manager is operable to:

coordinate communication of packets, via the network fabric, among the plurality of vehicle control modules, based on individual content of the packets and in accordance with a global vehicle network communication protocol that regulates communications via the data bridge between the first sub-network fabric and the second sub-network fabric in accordance with a higher priority for packets with a destination in the first sub-network fabric and a lower priority for packets with a destination in the second sub-network fabric;

wherein the data bridge is operable to:

receive a packet with a destination in the first sub-network fabric or second sub-network fabric, and determine the packet priority;

transfer the packet to the destination using a to priority path if the packet is determined to be a top priority packet;

transfer the packet to the destination by bypassing ingress and egress queues of the data bridge if the packet is determined to be a high priority packet; and

add the packet to an ingress or egress queue of the data bridge based on priority if the packet is determined to be a lower priority packet.

2. The vehicle communication network of claim 1 , wherein the global vehicle network communication protocol comprises at least one of: information regarding a network fabric formatting of the packets; information regarding packet transmission prioritization schemes; information regarding network management processing; or information regarding vehicle network operation parameters.

3. The vehicle communication network of claim 1 , wherein a network resource management comprises one or more of: access prioritization management; bandwidth allocation management; packet redundancy management; link redundancy management; data transmission latency management; link diagnostics; network security; virtual local area network setup; legacy packet/frame management; or adding or deleting components from access to the network fabric.

4. The vehicle communication network of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes mission-critical devices and wherein the second subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes non-mission critical devices.

5. The vehicle communication network of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes vehicle operation devices and the second subset of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes information and entertainment devices.

6. The vehicle communication network of claim 1 , wherein a vehicle control module of the plurality of vehicle control modules comprises one or more of: one or more processing modules; a network node module; an electronic control unit; or a vehicle assembly.

7. The vehicle communication network of claim 6 , wherein the vehicle assembly comprises:

a switching circuit module;

a plurality of network interfaces operably coupled to the switch circuit module; and

a plurality of devices operably coupled to the plurality of network interfaces.

8. The vehicle communication network of claim 1 , wherein the memory is further operable to store one or more of: multi-media files; electronic control unit applications; multimedia applications; diagnostic data; performance data; or data associated with at least one of use and performance of the vehicle communication network.

9. The vehicle communication network of claim 1 further comprises one or more of:

one or more communication links operable to support connectivity with one or more of a cellular device, a Bluetooth device, an infrared device, and a computer peripheral device;

a gateway operable to support communication with at least one of a highway network, a home network, an automobile service provider, and an automobile manufacturer; and

a power manager operable to optimize power consumption of the vehicle communication network.

10. A vehicle network comprises:

a plurality of vehicle control modules;

a network fabric, wherein the network fabric comprises:

a first network fabric including first network interfaces operably coupled to a first type of the plurality of vehicle control modules;

a second network fabric including second network interfaces operably coupled to a second type of the plurality of vehicle control modules; and

a data bridge operably coupled to facilitate communication between the first and second network fabrics, wherein the data bridge assigns a higher priority for packets with a destination in the first network fabric and a lower priority for packets with a destination in the second network fabric;

a network manager operably coupled to the network fabric, wherein the network manager is operable to:

coordinate communication of packets, via the network fabric, among the plurality of vehicle control modules, based on individual content of the packets and in accordance with a global vehicle network communication protocol that regulates communications via the data bridge between the first network fabric and the second network fabric in accordance with a higher priority for packets with a destination in the first network fabric and a lower priority for packets with a destination in the second network fabric;

wherein the data bridge is operable to:

receive a packet with a destination in the first network fabric or second network fabric, and determine the packet priority;

transfer the packet to the destination using a top priority path if the packet is determined to be a top priority packet;

transfer the packet to the destination by bypassing ingress and egress queues of the data bridge if the packet is determined to be a high priority packet; and

add the packet to an ingress or egress queue of the data bridge based on priority if the packet is determined to be a lower priority packet.

11. The vehicle network of claim 10 , wherein the first type of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes mission-critical devices and wherein the second type of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes non-mission critical devices.

12. The vehicle network of claim 11 , wherein the mission-critical devices includes at least one of: a safety-related device, an engine control device and a braking device and wherein the non-mission critical devices includes at least one of: a navigation device, a window operation device, a seat operation device, an audio/video device, and climate control device.

13. The vehicle network of claim 10 , wherein the first type of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes vehicle operation devices and wherein the second type of the plurality of vehicle control modules includes information and entertainment devices.

14. The vehicle network of claim 13 , wherein the vehicle operation devices includes at least one of: an engine control unit, a safety critical control unit, a transmission control unit, a braking system control unit, a window control unit and a climate control unit and wherein information and entertainment devices includes at least one of: a DVD player, a cellular telephone interface, a Bluetooth interface, a radio, a CD player, and a navigation system.

15. The vehicle network of claim 10 , wherein the data bridge is operably coupled to facilitate communication between the first and second network fabrics by:

receiving a packet from the first network fabric;

determining that the packet is to be transmitted to the second network fabric; and

transmitting the packet to the second network fabric.

16. The vehicle network of claim 10 , wherein the data bridge is operably coupled to facilitate communication between the first and second network fabrics by:

receiving a packet from the second network fabric;

determining that the packet is to be provided to the first network fabric; and

transmitting the packet to the first network fabric.

17. A vehicle network comprises:

a plurality of vehicle control modules;

a network fabric, wherein the network fabric comprises:

a first network fabric including first network interfaces operably coupled to a first set of the plurality of vehicle control modules including a first function;

a second network fabric including second network interfaces operably coupled to a second set of the plurality of vehicle control modules including a second function; and

a network manager that stores a global vehicle network communication protocol, and coordinates communication of packets, via the network fabric, among the plurality of vehicle control modules, based on individual content of the packets and in accordance with the global vehicle network communication protocol, wherein the global vehicle network communication protocol indicates a higher priority for packets with a destination in the first network fabric and a lower priority for packets with a destination in the second network fabric;

a data bridge operably coupled to facilitate communication between the first and second network fabrics, wherein the first set of the plurality of vehicle control modules are coupled to the second network fabric through the data bridge and wherein the second set of the plurality of vehicle control modules is coupled to the first network fabric through the data bridge;

wherein the data bridge is operable to:

receive a packet with a destination in the first network fabric or second network fabric, and determine the packet priority;

transfer the packet to the destination using a top priority path if the packet is determined to be a top priority packet;

transfer the packet to the destination by bypassing ingress and egress queues of the data bridge if the packet is determined to be a high priority packet; and

add the packet to an ingress or egress queue of the data bridge based on priority if the packet is determined to be a lower priority packet.

18. The vehicle network of claim 17 , wherein the first function includes a mission-critical function and wherein the second function includes a non-mission critical function.

19. The vehicle network of claim 18 , wherein the mission critical function includes at least one of: a safety-related function, an engine control function and a braking function and wherein the non-mission function includes at least one of: a navigation function, a window operation function, a seat operation function, an audio/video function, and a climate control function.

20. The vehicle network of claim 17 , wherein the first function includes a vehicle operation function and wherein the second function includes an information and entertainment function.