System and method for server based control

Abstract

A system and method in a building or vehicle for an actuator operation in response to a sensor according to a control logic, the system comprising a router or a gateway communicating with a device associated with the sensor and a device associated with the actuator over in-building or in-vehicle networks, and an external Internet-connected control server associated with the control logic implementing a PID closed linear control loop and communicating with the router over external network for controlling the in-building or in-vehicle phenomenon. The sensor may be a microphone or a camera, and the system may include voice or image processing as part of the control logic. A redundancy is used by using multiple sensors or actuators, or by using multiple data paths over the building or vehicle internal or external communication. The networks may be wired or wireless, and may be BAN, PAN, LAN, WAN, or home networks.

1 . A vehicle control system for commanding an actuator operation according in response to a sensor response associated with a phenomenon to a control, for use with one or more in-vehicle networks for communication in a vehicle, and one or more external networks for communicating with an Internet-connected control server via another vehicle or a roadside unit external to the vehicle, the system comprising:
 a router in the vehicle, connected to the one or more in-vehicle networks and to the one or more of the external networks, and operative to pass digital data between said in-vehicle and one or more of the external networks;   a first device in the vehicle comprising of, or connectable to, a sensor that responds to the phenomenon, the first device is operative to transmit a sensor digital data corresponding to the phenomenon to said router over said one or more in-vehicle networks;   a second device in the vehicle comprising of, or connectable to, an actuator that affects the phenomenon, the second device is operative to execute actuator commands received from said router over said one or more in-vehicle networks; and   a control server external to the vehicle storing the control logic, and communicatively coupled to said router over the Internet via said one or more of the external networks,   wherein said control server is operative to receive the sensor digital data from said router, to produce actuator commands in response to the received sensor digital data according to the control logic, and to transmit the actuator commands to said second device via said router.   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said external network is a vehicle-to-vehicle network for communicating with said control server via another vehicle. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the external networks is communicating with a stationary device, and wherein the stationary device is a roadside unit. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said router, said first device, and said second device are mechanical attached to the vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is adapted for travelling on land, or water, or is airborne. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is one out of a bicycle, a car, a motorcycle, a train, a ship, an aircraft, a boat, a spacecraft, a boat, a submarine, a dirigible, an electric scooter, a subway, a train, a trolleybus, a tram, a sailboat, a yacht, and an airplane. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is operative to sense the phenomenon in the vehicle, external to the vehicle, or associated with surroundings around the vehicle. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuator is operative to affect the phenomenon in the vehicle, external to the vehicle, or associated with surroundings around the vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is an automobile, and wherein said system is coupled to monitor or control an Engine Control Unit (ECU), a Transmission Control Unit (TCU), an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), or Body Control Modules (BCM) of the automobile. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1  further integrated with or being part of a vehicular communication system used for improved safety, traffic flow control, traffic reporting, or traffic management. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1  further used for parking help, cruise control, lane keeping, road sign recognition, surveillance, speed limit warning, restricted entries, and pull-over commands, travel information, cooperative adaptive cruise control, cooperative forward collision warning, intersection collision avoidance, approaching emergency vehicle warning, vehicle safety inspection, transit or emergency vehicle signal priority, electronic parking payments, commercial vehicle clearance and safety inspections, in-vehicle signing, rollover warning, probe data collection, highway-rail intersection warning, or electronic toll collection. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the in-vehicle networks is a vehicle bus. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the vehicle bus is according to, or based on, Control Area Network (CAN) or Local Interconnect Network (LIN). 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the in-vehicle networks is using is a communication medium that is based on DC power lines of the vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle further comprising an On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) system. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein said system is coupled to or integrated with the OBD system. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein the OBD system is according to, or based on, OBD-II or EOBD (European On-Board Diagnostics) standards. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 16 , wherein the OBD system further comprises a diagnostics connector, and wherein said router, said first device, or said second device are coupled to the diagnostics connector. 
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 18 , wherein said router, said first device, or said second device are at least in part powered via the diagnostics connector. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said router is operative to communicate to said control server an information regarding fuel and air metering, ignition system, misfire, auxiliary emission control, vehicle speed and idle control, transmission, on-board computer, fuel level, relative throttle position, ambient air temperature, accelerator pedal position, air flow rate, fuel type, oxygen level, fuel rail pressure, engine oil temperature, fuel injection timing, engine torque, engine coolant temperature, intake air temperature, exhaust gas temperature, fuel pressure, injection pressure, turbocharger pressure, boost pressure, exhaust pressure, exhaust gas temperature, engine run time, NOx sensor, manifold surface temperature, or a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).