1. Apparatus for providing cableless USB connectivity to 802.11-enabled computing devices via 802.11 networks, comprising:
an 802.11 device communicator configured to transmit and receive data in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol;
a USB protocol-stack configured to maintain USB-protocol data and control messages; and
a USB802.11 adapter configured to
adapt USB-protocol data and control messages in said USB-protocol stack for wireless transmission by said 802.11 device communicator 110, and
provide to said USB-protocol stack USB-protocol data and control messages found within 802.11-protocol communications received by said 802.11 device communicator.
2. A system for providing cableless USB connectivity to 802.11-enabled computing devices via 802.11 networks, the system comprising:
a host computing device including
an 802.11 host communicator configured to transmit and receive data in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol,
a USB host protocol stack configured to maintain USB-protocol data and control messages, and
a USB802.11 host adapter configured to
adapt USB-protocol data and control messages in said USB host protocol stack for wireless transmission by said 802.11 host communicator 110, and
provide to said USB host protocol stack USB-protocol data and control messages found within 802.11-protocol communications received by said 802.11 host communicator; and
a peripheral computing device including
an 802.11 device communicator configured to transmit and receive data in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol,
a USB device protocol stack configured to maintain USB-protocol data and control messages, and
a USB802.11 device adapter configured to
adapt USB-protocol data and control messages in said USB device protocol stack for wireless transmission by said 802.11 device communicator 110, and
provide to said USB device protocol stack USB-protocol data and control messages found within 802.11-protocol communications received by said 802.11 device communicator.
3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said USB802.11 device adapter is configured to cause said 802.11 device communicator to advertise said peripheral computing device as being contention-free (CF) pollable.
4. A system according to claim 2 wherein said USB802.11 host adapter is configured to use the Point Coordinated Function (PCF) for Media Access Control (MAC) in an 802.11-protocol network.
5. A system according to claim 2 wherein said USB802.11 host adapter is configured to cause said 802.11 host communicator to wirelessly transmit USB-protocol information during either of contention free periods (CFP) and contention periods (CP).
6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said USB802.11 host adapter is configured to cause said 802.11 host communicator to wirelessly transmit USB control messages during a CP.
7. A system according to claim 5 wherein said USB802.11 host adapter is configured to act as point coordinator (PC) during a CFP.
8. A system according to claim 2 wherein said USB802.11 host adapter is configured to cause said 802.11 host communicator to wirelessly transmit during a CFP
a beacon configured to identify a transmission channel carrying said beacon as USB-enabled, and
at least one frame configured to include a USB-protocol out token, a USB-protocol in token, and USB-protocol data.
9. A system according to claim 2 wherein said USB802.11 device adapter is configured to cause said 802.11 device communicator to wirelessly transmit during a CFP a frame configured to include USB-protocol data and a USB-protocol out-acknowledgement token, wherein said frame is transmitted subsequent to said USB802.11 device adapter receiving a USB-protocol polling message from said USB802.11 host adapter.
10. A system according to claim 2 wherein said USB802.11 host adapter is configured to cause said 802.11 host communicator to wirelessly transmit during a CFP a CF data frame together with a USB-protocol in-acknowledgement token, wherein said frame is transmitted subsequent to said USB802.11 host adapter receiving USB-protocol data and control messages from said USB802.11 device adapter.
11. A system according to claim 2 wherein said USB802.11 host adapter is configured to reserve a plurality of service time slots (STS) during a CFP, wherein said STS encapsulates a portion of data from an isochronous data stream.
12. A method for providing cableless USB connectivity to 802.11-enabled computing devices via 802.11 networks, the method comprising:
transmitting and receiving data in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol;
maintaining a USB-protocol stack including USB-protocol data and control messages;
adapting USB-protocol data and control messages in said USB-protocol stack for wireless transmission in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol; and
providing to said USB-protocol stack USB-protocol data and control messages found within received 802.11-protocol communications.
13. A method for providing cableless USB connectivity to 802.11-enabled computing devices via 802.11 networks, the method comprising:
configuring a first computing device to include each of
a first 802.11 communicator configured to transmit and receive data in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol,
a first USB protocol stack configured to maintain USB-protocol data and control messages, and
a first USB802.11 adapter configured to
adapt USB-protocol data and control messages in said first USB protocol stack for wireless transmission by said first 802.11 communicator 110, and
provide to said first USB protocol stack USB-protocol data and control messages found within 802.11-protocol communications received by said first 802.11 communicator; and
configuring said first computing device for communications with a second computing device including
a second 802.11 communicator configured to transmit and receive data in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol,
a second USB protocol stack configured to maintain USB-protocol data and control messages, and
a second USB802.11 adapter configured to
adapt USB-protocol data and control messages in said second USB protocol stack for wireless transmission by said second 802.11 communicator 110, and
provide to said second USB protocol stack USB-protocol data and control messages found within 802.11-protocol communications received by said first 802.11 communicator.
15. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising configuring said first USB802.11 adapter to use the Point Coordinated Function (PCF) for Media Access Control (MAC) in an 802.11-protocol network.
16. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising configuring said first USB802.11 adapter to cause said first 802.11 communicator to wirelessly transmit USB-protocol information during either of contention free periods (CFP) and contention periods (CP).
17. A method according to claim 16 and further comprising configuring said first USB802.11 adapter to cause said first 802.11 communicator to wirelessly transmit USB control messages during a CP.
18. A method according to claim 16 and further comprising configuring said first USB802.11 adapter to act as point coordinator (PC) during a CFP.
19. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising configuring said first USB802.11 adapter to cause said first 802.11 communicator to wirelessly transmit during a CFP
a beacon configured to identify a transmission channel carrying said beacon as USB-enabled, and
at least one frame configured to include a USB-protocol out token, a USB-protocol in token, and USB-protocol data.
20. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising configuring said USB802.11 device adapter to cause said 802.11 device communicator to wirelessly transmit during a CFP a frame configured to include USB-protocol data and a USB-protocol out-acknowledgement token, wherein said frame is transmitted subsequent to said second USB802.11 adapter receiving a USB-protocol polling message from said first USB8020.11 adapter.
21. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising configuring said first USB802.11 adapter to cause said first 802.11 communicator to wirelessly transmit during a CFP a CF data frame together with a USB-protocol in-acknowledgement token, wherein said frame is transmitted subsequent to said first USB802.11 adapter receiving USB-protocol data and control messages from said second USB802.11 adapter.
22. A method according to claim 13 and further comprising configuring said first USB802.11 adapter to reserve a number of service time slots (STS) during a CFP, wherein said STS encapsulates a portion of data from an isochronous data stream.
23. A computer program product for providing cableless USB connectivity to 802.11-enabled computing devices via 802.11 networks, the computer program product comprising:
a computer readable medium; and
computer program instructions operative to
transmit and receive data in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol,
maintain a USB-protocol stack including USB-protocol data and control messages,
adapt USB-protocol data and control messages in said USB-protocol stack for wireless transmission in accordance with an 802.11 wireless communications protocol, and
provide to said USB-protocol stack USB-protocol data and control messages found within received 802.11-protocol communications,
wherein said program instructions are stored on said computer readable medium.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A cooperative diagnostic system for generating a prognosis of at least one component in a vehicle, the system comprising:
an in-vehicle diagnostic unit determining a degradation signature of the at least one component each time an occurrence of a condition is triggered; and
an off-vehicle diagnostic unit receiving the degradation signature and determining a state-of-health of the at least one component as a function of the degradation signature;
wherein the determined degradation signature of the at least one component is wirelessly transmitted to the off-vehicle diagnostic unit upon the occurrence of the triggered condition, the off-vehicle diagnostic unit determining a rate-of-change in the state-of-health of the at least one component, the off-vehicle diagnostic unit determining whether the rate-of-change in the state-of-health is greater than a threshold, the off-vehicle diagnostic unit requesting additional information from the vehicle in response to the rate-of-change in the state-of-health being greater than the threshold, the additional information relating to operating parameter data associated with the at least one component, the off-vehicle diagnostic unit receiving the requested information and predicting a time-to-failure of the at least one component.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein each determined state-of-health is stored in an off-vehicle diagnostic unit memory, wherein the off-vehicle diagnostic unit collectively analyzes the stored state-of-health determinations for determining the rate-of-change in the state-of-health.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the triggered condition includes a time-triggered condition, wherein the off-board diagnostic unit determines an increase in a frequency of the timed condition based on a rate-of-change in the state-of-health being greater than a second threshold.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein increasing the frequency of the time triggered condition is based on an incremental rate-of-change in the state-of-health between two state-of-health determinations.
5. The system of claim 3 wherein increasing the frequency of the time triggered condition is based on an incremental rate-of-change in the state-of-health between two consecutive state-of-health determinations.
6. The system of claim 3 wherein increasing the frequency of the time-triggered condition is based on an incremental rate-of-change in the state-of-health between a plurality of state-of-health determinations.
7. The system of claim 2 wherein the triggered condition includes an event-triggered condition that is based on an occurrence of an event.
8. The system of claim 2 wherein the on-board diagnostic unit compares the determined degradation signature to an operating threshold, and wherein diagnostic unit transmits the determined degradation signature to the off-board diagnostic unit in response to the determined degradation signature being greater than the operating threshold.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a telematics center, wherein messages from the vehicle are relayed to the on-board diagnostic unit.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the telematics center relays messages from off-board diagnostic unit to the vehicle.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the off-vehicle diagnostic unit selects which additional information is requested from the vehicle.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the off-vehicle diagnostic unit utilizes a diagnostic reasoner for predicting the fault in the at least one component and predicting the time-to-failure.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the off-vehicle diagnostic unit utilizes a fault model for predicting the fault in the at least one component and predicting the time-to-failure.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the prognosis determined by the off-board diagnostic unit is output to a user of the vehicle.
15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a texting device for outputting the prognosis to the user.
16. The system of claim 14 further comprising a cell phone for outputting the prognosis to the user.
17. The system of claim 14 further comprising a vehicle-based output device for outputting the prognosis to the user.
18. The system of claim 14 wherein the prognosis is output using email.
19. The system of claim 14 wherein a third party outputs the prognosis to the user.
20. The system of claim 19 wherein the third party is a vehicle dealership.
21. The system of claim 19 wherein the third party is a telematics center.