Today's vehicles are inundated with sensors and actuators that broadcast critical data over control networks. The extensiveness of these networks is likely to increase over the next few years. The promise of a plug-and-play world where system designers can buy off-the-shelf products to build complex distributed systems on vehicles is enticing. To reach this promise, software tools that support distributed systems are needed. To be effective, these tools need to work with networks commonly found on vehicles, such as the Controller Area Network (CAN). There is a recognized need within the CAN community for a middleware solution that will support the communication of distributed embedded devices. This proposal describes a framework based on IEEE 1451 which will provide the logistical communication services necessary for a distributed system. The object-oriented flavor of the IEEE 1451 standard makes Java a natural fit for implementing the standard. Phase 1 of the project will include a needs analysis for a plug-and-play framework within telematics. This will be followed by an architecture design for this framework. Phase 2 will result in the development of a prototype of the proposed framework.
