System and method for mobile data expansion

• US 10,015,679 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neutronic Perpetual Innovations Mobile LLC
• Original Assignee: Neutronic Perpetual Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: Berry, Terrance
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US15/145,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20160249273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 370328, 370329, 370241, 370252, 370253, 370310, 370311, 370341, 455 73, 455106, 455436, 455572, 455573
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/92 for velocity measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/10 providing dedicated supplementary positioning signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

In a system of spaced surface markers disposed on a travel surface, each surface marker includes a housing, a power system within the housing producing electrical power from solar energy or vibration, and wireless transceiver(s) within the housing wirelessly communicating with neighboring surface markers. One surface marker relays data from and to another, while a third surface marker relays data from and to a network connection to a remote network. All surface markers may communicate via WiFi. The travel surface may be for vehicles. Each surface marker may communication with a vehicle or mobile device within communication range, to provide location or other information.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of spaced surface markers disposed on a travel surface, each surface marker comprising;

a housing,

a power system disposed within the housing and configured to produce electrical power from at least one of solar energy and vibration of the respective surface marker,

at least one wireless transceiver disposed within the housing, powered by the power system, and configured to wirelessly communicate with transceivers within neighboring ones of the plurality of spaced surface markers, and

processing circuitry disposed within the housing, powered by the power system, and coupled to the wireless transceiver,

wherein a first of the surface markers is configured to receive data from and transmit data to a second of the surface markers,

wherein the second surface marker is configured to relay data from the first surface marker to a third of the surface markers and to relay data from the third surface marker to the first surface marker, and

wherein at least the third surface marker is further configured to

communicate with a network connection device,

relay data originating from one of the first and second surface markers to a remote network via the network connection device, and

relay data originating from the remote network and directed to one of the first and second surface markers to the second surface marker.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network connection device is an access point.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network connection device is a cellular communications station.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network connection device is a mobile telecommunications device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second surface markers and the second and third surface markers communicate via wireless fidelity (WiFi) communications.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel surface is a vehicle travel surface.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of spaced surface markers is configured to communicate with a vehicle traveling on the travel surface within communication range of the respective surface marker.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of spaced surface markers is configured to provide location information to the vehicle when the vehicle is within communication range of the surface marker.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of spaced surface markers is configured to communicate with a mobile telecommunications device within communication range of the respective surface marker.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of spaced surface markers is configured to provide location information to the mobile telecommunications device when the mobile telecommunications device is within communication range of the respective surface marker.

11. A surface marker configured to be disposed on a travel surface as one of a plurality of spaced surface markers, the surface marker comprising:

a housing,

a power system disposed within the housing and configured to produce electrical power from at least one of solar energy and vibration of the respective surface marker,

a first transceiver disposed within the housing, powered by the power system, wherein the first transceiver is a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with wireless transceivers within neighboring ones of the plurality of spaced surface markers, and

processing circuitry disposed within the housing, powered by the power system, and coupled to the wireless transceiver,

wherein the surface marker is configured to

receive data originating from a remote network that has been relayed by at least a second surface marker and a third surface marker of the surface markers, and

transmit data directed to the remote network to the second surface marker to be relayed to the remote network via the third surface marker.

12. The surface marker of claim 11, further comprising:

a second transceiver disposed within the housing, powered by the power system, and configured to communicate with an access point.

13. The surface marker claim 11, further comprising:

a second wireless transceiver disposed within the housing, powered by the power system, and configured to communicate with a cellular communications station.

14. The surface marker of claim 13, wherein the cellular communications station is a mobile telecommunications device.

15. The surface marker of claim 11, wherein the first transceiver is configured to communicate with the neighboring ones of the plurality of spaced surface markers via wireless fidelity (WiFi) communications.

16. The surface marker of claim 11, wherein the travel surface is a vehicle travel surface.

17. The surface marker of claim 11, wherein the surface marker is configured to communicate with a vehicle traveling on the travel surface within communication range of the surface marker.

18. The surface marker of claim 17, wherein the surface marker is configured to provide location information to the vehicle when the vehicle is within communication range of the surface marker.

19. The surface marker of claim 11, wherein the surface marker is configured to communicate with a mobile telecommunications device within communication range of the surface marker.

20. The surface marker of claim 19, wherein the surface marker is configured to provide location information to the mobile telecommunications device when the mobile telecommunications device is within communication range of the surface marker.