BMW On Board IP Network

with Internet Protocol (IP) - the language of the World Wide Web as well as of many consumer electronic tools such as MP3-players or laptops.

In short, digital data communication - in wired and wireless form - is now an integral element of our everyday lives. Indeed, modern life has long been shaped by the fast and uncomplicated exchange of information regardless of location. E-mails can now be sent to anywhere you care to mention and at any time of any day - using a mobile phone, notebook computer or smartphone. The data, in the form of speech or e-mail, for example, is digitalised and transmitted in Internet Protocol packages - the language of the global Internet. This standard has provided the key to limitless freedom and independence, making data such as music, pictures, e-mails, documents, addresses and so on accessible and thus available anytime, anywhere.

The challenge for the engineers was to prove that IP is applicable in a vehicle and to show which opportunities this technology offers.

The prototype: one command fits all

In test set-ups and integrated in a series-production vehicle BMW Group Research and Technology demonstrates what is prototypically possible by using Internet Protocol in a car's on-board network.

The setup of the prototype uses standard components from PC and embedded areas where possible. Also current vehicle ECUs (electronic control units) such as engine control (DME) and the chassis control system DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), as well as the so-called Head-Unit, the ECU that controls for example the radio, are integrated in the IP-network. Gateways built by the research engineers connect the vehicle's bus communication with the vehicle-IP-network in real-time. A multimedia server and a camera can be connected to the efficient IP-net. With this setup it could be proved that an Internet Protocol based network can manage safety-relevant chassis control systems in real-time along with high data volume multimedia applications.

The opportunities: practical examples

The innovative, IP-based on-board network makes the infrastructure inside the vehicle more flexible. In the future, it will be easier for workshops to integrate control units including new functions into vehicles or for customers to use and operate their new electronic devices in the car thanks to Plug&Play. Not all applications will have to be fitted "permanently" in the vehicle, since the IP-based on-board network will link it up to the Internet.

The engineers are also looking into a range of other possibilities which come into view if a vehicle's electronics all speak a single language. As a prototype has already shown, this makes it simple to listen to entire MP3 collections online or to download videos from the Internet on board and watch them from the back row. The on-board network of the future means vehicles will no longer be tied to the entertainment industry's short development cycles, as the latest developments (Blue Ray, HDTV, IPTV, IP Radio etc.) can be used simply via Plug&Play and no longer need plug connectors with special infrastructure requirements.

It is also much easier for passengers and service engineers alike to see into the vehicle's on-board network and control units. A service engineer can even contact the driver via visual telephone and give "visible" advice to solve for example a operation problem. As far as driver assistance systems are concerned, this innovative on-board network technology opens up totally new opportunities, in particular for complex systems which access various types of information from sensors, cameras etc. All these systems and information providers will then speak the same language.

Date : 28 Nov 2007 09:14:15 Source: BMW

Date : 28 Nov 2007 09:14:15
Source: BMW