Patent ID: 7603471

Claim:
A protocol adapter for communicating with one or more remote computers of a vehicle network over any one of a plurality of protocols, said adapter comprising: a motherboard including an integrated central processing unit (CPU), a plurality of interface modules, a plurality of device drivers and a plurality of daughtercard interface slots, said CPU capable of simultaneously communicating with the one or more remote computers in the vehicle network operating different protocols; a server program operable for communicating with said one or more computers of the vehicle network through the use of an O/S TCP/IP interface; at least one daughtercard interface module having an associated protocol type and serial number, said at least one daughtercard interface module mounted in one of the plurality of daughtercard interface slots, wherein said at least one daughtercard interface module expands the number of protocols of the adapter beyond those protocols being run by the CPU; at least one of said plurality of device drivers in communication with said server program and associated with the protocol type of said daughtercard interface module mounted in said one of the plurality of daughtercard interface slots, wherein a separate device driver exists for each daughtercard interface module protocol type mounted in each one of the plurality of daughtercard interface slots; and hardware autodetection with configuration software programs operable for detecting the identity and type of said at least one daughtercard interface module mounted in one of said plurality of daughtercard interface slots, wherein said at least one device driver is loaded into said server program in response to the detection of the type of said at least one daughtercard interface module by said hardware autodetection software.