The present invention is directed to methods and systems for determining a location of a vehicle within a geofence. The location of the vehicle is determined by a fencing agent on a vehicle. The geofence is defined by a plurality of geographic designators, with the plurality of geographic designators each being associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address, preferably an IPv6 address.

Disclosed is a system for collecting data from an automated plant having a field device connected for communication and for exchanging telegrams with a superordinate unit by means of a communication loop using a first protocol. The system includes a hat rail; and a terminal module mounted on the hat rail and embodied to monitor telegrams transmitted from the field device to the superordinate unit via the communication loop. The terminal module is further embodied to convert monitored telegrams into a second protocol and to output the converted telegrams. The system further includes a head module mounted on the hat rail and connected with the terminal module. The electronics unit of the head module is embodied to convert telegrams output from the terminal module into a third protocol to output them via the first network interface.

Provided is a communication device and a control method, according to which in a configuration in which a plurality of processing units having a master-subordinate relationship therebetween, processing for controlling an abnormality and the like that has occurred in the subordinate processing unit can be performed by the master processing unit. A communication device includes a master processing unit and a subordinate processing unit, and the subordinate processing unit performs processing regarding communication, the master processing unit controls activation of the subordinate processing unit, the subordinate processing unit periodically transmits a signal to the master processing unit, and the master processing unit controls an operation of the subordinate processing unit in accordance with the signal that is periodically transmitted by the subordinate processing unit.

Provided is a communication device and a control method, according to which in a configuration in which a plurality of processing units having a master-subordinate relationship therebetween, processing for controlling an abnormality and the like that has occurred in the subordinate processing unit can be performed by the master processing unit. A communication device includes a master processing unit and a subordinate processing unit, and the subordinate processing unit performs processing regarding communication, the master processing unit controls activation of the subordinate processing unit, the subordinate processing unit periodically transmits a signal to the master processing unit, and the master processing unit controls an operation of the subordinate processing unit in accordance with the signal that is periodically transmitted by the subordinate processing unit.

A more efficient method of data collecting using multicast instead of individual slave-by-slave requests for data defines a multicast address through a master station. Slave stations are divided into feature groups according to their feature value and a mapping relationship table between the multicast addresses and the feature groups is established. Data request frames from the master station to the slave stations include a destination address which is parsed by all the slave stations, and if the destination address is the same as the multicast address in the mapping relationship table, the slave stations in the feature group associated with the destination address transmit data in response to the master station, the data request being discarded by other slave stations which are not associated.

A more efficient method of data collecting using multicast instead of individual slave-by-slave requests for data defines a multicast address through a master station. Slave stations are divided into feature groups according to their feature value and a mapping relationship table between the multicast addresses and the feature groups is established. Data request frames from the master station to the slave stations include a destination address which is parsed by all the slave stations, and if the destination address is the same as the multicast address in the mapping relationship table, the slave stations in the feature group associated with the destination address transmit data in response to the master station, the data request being discarded by other slave stations which are not associated.

A system, automobile, and method for implementing an electronic control function of an automobile. The system includes a first vehicle integration unit (VIU), an automobile control unit, and a plurality of automobile parts. The automobile control unit includes a first domain controller (DC) or a central computing platform (CCP). The automobile control unit is configured to send first control information to the first VIU. The first VIU is configured to control the plurality of automobile parts based on the first control information. In embodiments of this application, the first VIU controls the plurality of automobile parts.

In a system of control devices networked with one another via a first network or multiple first sub-networks, and of which at least one is a server-based control device that combines multiple functional units, a grandmaster clock is defined by ascertaining the best clock of the entire network. If the best clock is located in a server-based control device, the distances are ascertained between selected functional units that are suitable as a source of the grandmaster clock and selected active network interfaces that connect the server-based control device to the first network or multiple first sub-networks, and the average distance to all selected network interfaces for each of the selected functional units is determined. That selected functional unit that has the smallest average distance to all selected network interfaces is defined as grandmaster clock for the first network or the first sub-networks.

This invention enables data communication that effectively utilizes data received normally or in a correctable manner at a timing which differs from the timing at which each slave communication terminal should receive data. A master communication device of this communication system comprises: a generation unit that generates transmission data consisting of consecutive data to all slave communication devices following one header; and a transmission unit that transmits the transmission data generated by the generation unit at the fastest cycle, among communication cycles requested by the plurality of slave communication devices. Each of the plurality of slave communication devices of the communication system comprises: a storage unit that adds information indicating reliability to data received from the master communication device and stores the same; a comparison unit that compares the reliability of subsequently received data and the reliability of the data stored in the storage unit; and a selection unit that selects the data stored in the storage unit if the reliability of the data stored in the storage unit is higher than the reliability of the data subsequently received by the comparison unit.

The present invention discloses an identification number numbering method and a multipoint communication system. The identification number numbering method includes the following steps: sending an identification number packet to a multipoint communication bus by a master device; receiving the identification number packet via the multipoint communication bus, and temporarily storing an identification number according to the identification number packet by a first slave device; changing a voltage level of a master device control output pin of the master device; and when the first slave device determines that a voltage level of a first control input pin coupled to the master device control output pin is correspondingly changed, updating a first slave device identification number of the first slave device according to the identification number.