Estimating the probability that a data packet will be received and a data packet transmission rate

• US 10,069,742 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Simsek, Burak
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, WILL W
• Application Number:
  US15/307,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/101 for measurement of specific parameters of the transmitter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/102 Power radiated at antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/103 Reflected power, e.g. return loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/067 providing soft decisions, i.e. decisions together with an estimate of reliability H04L25/068 and H04L25/069 take precedence; sequence estimation techniques H04L25/03178
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A method for estimating the probability that a data packet wirelessly transmitted from a transmitter, which is a traffic infrastructure object or a vehicle, to a receiver will be received. The method includes estimating a signal quality of the data packet and estimating the probability that the data packet will be received on the basis of the estimated signal quality.

Claims

1. A method for estimating the probability that a data packet will be received by a traffic infrastructure object or a transportation vehicle, the data packet being transmitted wirelessly from a transmitter to a receiver,

wherein the transmitter is another traffic infrastructure object or another transportation vehicle, and the method comprising:

estimating a signal quality of the data packet without acknowledgement from the receiver; and

estimating the probability that the data packet will be received based on the estimated signal quality,

wherein the receive probability P_r is defined with the following equation;

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second data packet by the transmitter; and

adapting the estimation of the signal quality based on the received second data packet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal quality is defined at least depending on a parameter which is selected from a group consisting of:

an antenna gain of at least one antenna of the transmitter,

a transmit power of the at least one antenna of the transmitter,

a distance between the transmitter and the receiver,

a coefficient for distance-dependent effects which alter the signal quality,

an attenuation of a signal power of the data packet based on environmental factors which are dependent on a current environment of the transmitter,

a mean transmission error which is dependent on the current environment of the transmitter, and

an individual transmission error which is dependent on the transmission between the transmitter and the receiver.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the signal quality is defined with the following equation:

SQ=AG+TP−

v*log₁₀(d)−

w+e_E+e_V,

wherein AG corresponds to the antenna gain of the at least one antenna of the transmitter,

wherein TP corresponds to the transmit power of the at least one antenna of the transmitter,

wherein d corresponds to the distance between the transmitter and the receiver,

wherein v corresponds to the coefficient for distance-depending effects,

wherein w corresponds to the attenuation due to distance-dependent effects,

wherein e_E corresponds to the mean transmission error, and

wherein e_V corresponds to the individual transmission error.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data packet is transmitted from the transmitter via an intermediate device to the receiver, and

the distance d is defined by a product of a distance from the transmitter to the intermediate device and a distance from the intermediate device to the receiver.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein a receive power currently received by the at least one antenna of the transmitter is defined in the reception of a data packet, and

the mean transmission error and/or the individual transmission error is/are defined depending on a comparison of the defined signal quality and the receive power.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein a current position of the transmitter is defined, and predefined values are used for the coefficient for distance-dependent effects which alter the signal quality and/or for the attenuation of the receive power of the antenna and/or for the mean transmission error and/or for the individual transmission error depending on the position.

8. A method for defining a transmission rate at which data packets are transmitted wirelessly from a transmitter to a receiver,

wherein the transmitter is a traffic infrastructure object or a transportation vehicle, and the receiver is another traffic infrastructure object or another transportation vehicle,

the method comprising:

estimating the probability that a data packet will be received, the data packet being transmitted wirelessly from the transmitter to the receiver, and

defining the transmission rate depending on a specified theoretical receive probability and a predefined receive probability without acknowledgement from the receiver;

wherein the receive probability is estimated with the method of claim 1.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmission rate f is defined with the following equation:

10. A device for an infrastructure object or a transportation vehicle, the device comprising:

at least one antenna; and

a controller,

wherein the device estimates a signal quality of a received data packet using the controller, the data packet being transmitted wirelessly by the at least one antenna from the device to a receiver, and

wherein the controller estimates the probability that the received data packet will be received by a traffic infrastructure object or a transportation vehicle, depending on the signal quality without acknowledgement from the receiver,

wherein the receive probability P_r is defined with the following equation;

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the device carries out a method for estimating the probability that a data packet will be received, the data packet being transmitted wirelessly from a transmitter to a receiver, wherein the transmitter is a traffic infrastructure object or a vehicle, and the method comprises:

estimating a signal quality of the data packet; and

estimating the probability that the data packet will be received based on the estimated signal quality.