Patent ID: 8081652

Claim:
An integrated circuit for connecting a micro-controller device to a data network of an automotive vehicle, the data network using a network communication protocol and the micro-controller device using a controller communication protocol, the circuit comprising: an input terminal configured to connect to a number of communication lines of the data network; an output terminal configured to connect to the micro-controller; a first interface circuit configured to convert an input data stream formatted in accordance with a first network communication protocol into an output data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol; a second interface circuit configured to convert an input data stream formatted in accordance with a second network communication protocol into an output data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol; and a switch circuit configured to determine a network communication protocol of the input data stream, wherein: upon determining the network communication protocol of the input data stream corresponds to the first network communication protocol, the switch circuit connects the input terminal to the first interface circuit, thereby providing the input data stream formatted in accordance with the first network communication protocol to the first interface circuit, the first interface circuit converts the input data stream formatted in accordance with the first network communication protocol to a data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol to supply the data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol to the output terminal, and upon determining the network communication protocol of the input data stream corresponds to the second network communication protocol, the switch circuit connects the input terminal to the second interface circuit, thereby providing the input data stream formatted in accordance with the second network communication protocol to the second interface circuit, the second interface circuit converts the input data stream formatted in accordance with the second network communication protocol to a data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol to supply the data stream formatted in accordance with the controller communication protocol to the output terminal.