IP Library Granted Patent US 11,750,462
Granted Patent B2
US 11,750,462 · App. 17/674,239 · Granted Sep 5, 2023

System, method, and apparatus for extra vehicle communications control

Inventors: Yu Fang (Palo Alto, CA); Xuanran Zong (Sunnyvale, CA); Jan Cardenas (Cupertino, CA)
Assignee: Sonatus, Inc.
H04L41/0893G07C5/008H04L41/28H04L43/0876H04L47/20H04L61/3025H04L61/4511H04L63/0236H04W4/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,750,462
App. No.
17/674,239
Granted
Sep 5, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

An example system includes a vehicle having a first network zone and a second network zone of a different type than the first network zone; a gatekeeper interface circuit interposed between the first network zone and a transceiver selectively couplable to an external device; a policy manager circuit structured to interpret a policy comprising an external data routing description; and a configuration circuit structured to configure the gatekeeper interface circuit in response to the external data routing description; wherein: the gatekeeper interface circuit is structured to regulate communications between end points of the first network zone and the transceiver, and to regulate communications between end points of the second network zone and the transceiver; the external data routing description comprises a plurality of local communicating devices, each corresponding to an external data routing path; and each external data routing path comprises an access point name of a regulated communication.

Claims (49)

1. A system, comprising:

a vehicle having a first network zone and a second network zone of a different type than the first network zone;

a gatekeeper interface circuit interposed between the first network zone and a transceiver selectively couplable to an external device, and further interposed between the second network zone and the transceiver;

a policy manager circuit structured to interpret a policy comprising an external data routing description; and

a configuration circuit structured to configure the gatekeeper interface circuit in response to the external data routing description;

wherein:

the gatekeeper interface circuit is structured to regulate communications between end points of the first network zone and the transceiver, and to regulate communications between end points of the second network zone and the transceiver;

the external data routing description comprises a plurality of local communicating devices, each corresponding to an external data routing path; and

each external data routing path comprises an access point name (APN) of a regulated communication.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gatekeeper interface circuit is further structured to adjust the APN in response to an operating condition of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gatekeeper interface circuit is further structured to adjust the APN in response to an operating condition of at least one of: the first network zone; the second network zone; the external device; or the transceiver.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gatekeeper interface circuit is further structured to aggregate a regulated communication from a plurality of local communicating devices, and to distribute the aggregated regulated communication between more than one APN associated with the plurality of local communicating devices.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein each local communicating device comprises at least one of: an end point of the first network zone or the second network zone; an application; a flow; a vehicle function; or a vehicle controller.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the gatekeeper interface circuit is further structured to distribute the aggregated regulated communication according to an attribution description of the policy.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein each external data routing path comprises a network zone trajectory of a regulated communication.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the policy manager circuit is further structured to determine a change of the external data routing description, and wherein the configuration circuit is further structured to configure the gatekeeper interface circuit in response to the changed external data routing description.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the policy manager circuit is further structured to determine a change of the external data routing path, and to update the external data routing description in response to the change of the external data routing path.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the policy manager circuit is further structured to determine an authorization of an external device providing the change of the external data routing path.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the policy manager circuit is further structured to determine the change of the external data routing path in response to a change of a local communicating device.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the change of the local communicating device comprises at least one change selected from the changes consisting of: a movement of an end point from one of the first network zone or the second network zone to the other one of the first network zone or the second network zone; a change in a flow, where the change comprises a change in a priority, a subscription, or a permission; a change in an application, where the change comprises a change in a priority, a subscription, or a permission; or a change in a quantity, configuration, or type of data communicated by the local communicating device.

13. A method comprising:

interpreting, via a policy manager circuit, a policy comprising an external data routing description;

configuring, via a configuration circuit, a gatekeeper interface circuit in response to the external data routing description;

regulating, via the gatekeeper interface circuit, communications between end points of a first network zone of a vehicle and a transceiver; and

regulating, via the gatekeeper interface circuit, communications between end points of a second network zone of the vehicle and the transceiver;

wherein:

the second network zone is of a different type than the first network zone;

the gatekeeper interface circuit is interposed between the first network zone and the transceiver and between the second network zone and the transceiver;

the external data routing description comprises a plurality of local communicating devices, each corresponding to an external data routing path; and

each external data routing path comprises an access point name (APN) of a regulated communication.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

responsive to an operating condition of the vehicle, adjusting the APN via the gatekeeper interface circuit.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

adjusting the APN via the gatekeeper interface circuit in response to an operating condition of at least one of:

the first network zone;

the second network zone; or

the transceiver.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

aggregating, via the gatekeeper interface circuit, a regulated communication from a plurality of local communicating devices; and

distributing, via the gatekeeper interface circuit, the aggregated regulated communication between more than one APN associated with the plurality of local communicating devices.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each local communicating device comprises at least one of: an end point of the first network zone or the second network zone; an application; a flow; a vehicle function; or a vehicle controller.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each external data routing path comprises a network zone trajectory of a regulated communication.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining, via the policy manager circuit, a change of the external data routing path; and

responsive to the change of the external data routing path, updating, via the policy manager circuit, the external data routing description.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining, via the policy manager circuit, an authorization of an external device providing the change of the external data routing path.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein determining, via the policy manager circuit, a change of the external data routing path is responsive to a change of a local communicating device.

22. The method of claim 18 , further comprising determining, via the policy manager circuit, a change of the external data routing description, and configuring, via the configuration circuit, the gatekeeper interface circuit in response to the changed external data routing description.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 23, 2025
From: SONATUS, INC.; SONATUS INTERNATIONAL HOLDING INC.; SONATUS IRELAND, LIMITED
To: TRIPLEPOINT CAPITAL LLC
Reel/Frame 074052/0671 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2022
From: FANG, YU; ZONG, XUANRAN; CARDENAS, JAN
To: SONATUS, INC.
Reel/Frame 060739/0561 →
Continuity (8)
Continuation 17570738 · Jan 7, 2022
Continuation 17027187 · Sep 21, 2020
Provisional Application 63024383 · May 13, 2020
Provisional Application 62986444 · Mar 6, 2020
Provisional Application 62911249 · Oct 5, 2019
Provisional Application 62911248 · Oct 5, 2019
Provisional Application 62903462 · Sep 20, 2019
Related Publication 20220173969A1 · Jun 2, 2022
Cited By (11)
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