IP Library Granted Patent US 11,842,640
Granted Patent B2
US 11,842,640 · App. 16/606,985 · Granted Dec 12, 2023

Computing system and method for operating a computing system

Inventors: Matthijs Paffen (Karlskron, DE); Hans-Georg Gruber (Ingolstadt, DE); Jürgen Lerzer (Neumarkt, DE)
Assignee: AUDI AG
G08G1/096827G06F9/5072G06F9/5077G07C5/008H04L67/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,842,640
App. No.
16/606,985
Granted
Dec 12, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a computing system comprising at least one computing device of at least one motor vehicle, and a cloud comprising at least one computing device, at least one application calculating output data from input data being implemented in a divided manner at least partially by the motor vehicle computing device and at least partially on the cloud side.

Claims (43)

1. A computing system, comprising:

a computing device of a motor vehicle, the computing device and/or the motor vehicle configured to communicate with a computing device in a cloud system using a communication link; and

a control unit implemented via a software platform, the control unit configured to perform operations comprising:

dynamically distributing a plurality of subprocesses of an application to a plurality of computing devices comprising the computing device of the motor vehicle and the computing device in the cloud system, wherein the distributing the plurality of sub-processes between the computing device of the motor vehicle and the computing device in the cloud system is based on a quality of the communication link,

in response to the communication link being missing or low-quality, executing, by the computing device of the motor vehicle, applications corresponding to functions to be used during vehicle operation or functions for supporting a vehicle user;

causing to execute the application on both the computing device of the motor vehicle and the computing device in the cloud system, wherein the application comprises a divided computation;

exchanging, with the cloud system, a message related to coordination of computational activities associated with the divided computation;

exchanging, with the cloud system, at least one software component corresponding to the plurality of subprocesses of the application;

determining, from the divided computation, the output data of the application based on an input data; and

causing to receive, by the motor vehicle, the output data determined from the divided computation; and

causing to display the output data within the motor vehicle, wherein the output data comprises route, lateral distance, spatial distance, or points of interest related to the motor vehicle.

2. The computing system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a database at the motor vehicle configured to store the input data, wherein the database at the motor vehicle is addressable by the application,

wherein a data storage capacity of the database at the motor vehicle is small in comparison with a data storage capacity of a database at the cloud system, and

wherein the database at the cloud system is addressable by the application.

3. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein the database of the motor vehicle and the database of the cloud have identical data formats, identical data structures and identical access interface.

4. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device of the motor vehicle comprises a subcomponent of the control unit, and a client unit communicating with the control unit.

5. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein a subprocess of the plurality of subprocesses is configured to evaluate sensor data of the motor vehicle, wherein the subprocess is allocated to the computing device of the motor vehicle.

6. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the application corresponds to a motor vehicle function, and wherein the motor vehicle function comprises a navigation function to be used during operation of the motor vehicle or to assist a driver of the motor vehicle.

7. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the application comprises a development application configured to evaluate the input data,

wherein the input data comprise operating data of the motor vehicle, and

wherein the operating data of the motor vehicle comprises sensor data or status data of the motor vehicle.

8. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of subprocesses are divided between the cloud system and the motor vehicle based on at least one of:

a utilization of the computing device of the motor vehicle and the computing device in the cloud system;

an availability of the input data;

an availability of the communication link; and

a quality of the communication link.

9. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the communication link comprises at least one of a mobile phone network, a local wireless network, and a communication line of a charging cable in the motor vehicle.

10. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to allocate processing of a subprocess of a plurality of subprocesses to the computing system for the subprocess that requires input data originating from a data source within the motor vehicle.

11. A method for operating a computing system, the method comprising:

dynamically distributing a plurality of subprocesses of an application to a plurality of computing devices comprising a computing device of a motor vehicle and a computing device in a cloud system, wherein the computing device of the motor vehicle and the computing device in the cloud system communicate using a communication link distributing the plurality of sub-processes between the computing device of the motor vehicle and the computing device in the cloud system is based on a quality of the communication link;

in response to the communication link being missing or low-quality, executing, by the computing device of the motor vehicle, applications corresponding to functions to be used during vehicle operation or functions for supporting a vehicle user;

executing the application on both the computing device of the motor vehicle and the computing device in the cloud system, wherein the application comprises a divided computation;

exchanging, between the motor vehicle and the cloud system, a message related to coordination of computational activities associated with the divided computation;

exchanging, between the motor vehicle and the cloud system, a software component corresponding to the plurality of subprocesses of the application;

determining, from the divided computation, the output data of the application based on the input data; and

receiving, by the motor vehicle, the output data determined from the divided computation; and

displaying the output data within the motor vehicle, wherein the output data comprises route, lateral distance, spatial distance, or points of interest related to the motor vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the application corresponds to a motor vehicle function, wherein the motor vehicle function comprises a navigation function to be used during operation of the motor vehicle or to assist a driver of the motor vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the application comprises a development application configured to evaluate the input data,

wherein the input data comprise operating data of the motor vehicle, and

wherein the operating data of the motor vehicle comprise sensor data or status data of the motor vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising allocating processing of a subprocess of a plurality of subprocesses to the computing system for the subprocess that requires input data originating from a data source within the motor vehicle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2020
From: PAFFEN, MATTHIJS; GRUBER, HANS-GEORG; LERZER, JURGEN
To: AUDI AG
Reel/Frame 052425/0540 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2017 206 887.6 · Apr 25, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200349837A1 · Nov 5, 2020